National

A punch for peace from Evander Holyfield

By V.V. Subrahmanyam

HYDERABAD, JAN. 9. The `Humble Warrior' is in a mood to forgive and forget. And, more important, don the role of a peace-maker, all to help the downtrodden. That is Evander Holyfield for you. Revelling in his now-familiar role, this 41-year-old boxer from America feels that be it Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden, the essence of human life is to forgive and forget. "Yes, if I bump into them, I will treat them as any other human being. Or else, they will try to do the same things," he says with clarity.

Evander Holyfield has every reason to be a vocal supporter for this philosophy. For he himself recalled that he refused to file a suit against Mike Tyson after the ugly "ear-biting" bout during a title fight in June 1997, even after the event managers held out the prospect of his receiving $250 million. "Money was not important for me. Money did not make Holyfield. It is Holyfield who made money," he stressed. Tyson had earned a ban from boxing after the incident.

Holyfield, the four-time heavyweight champion, is on a maiden visit to India and to the Paul Charity City, Sadasivapet in Medak district near Hyderabad (founded by Dr. K.A. Paul, global peace president) as part of the service for a humanitarian cause.

"I feel this is a great honour — to be present here in this hall," Holyfield said in response to cheers from schoolchildren as he walked up to the mike. "Love your parents, respect the teachers and set goals, you will grow up in your life," he remarked, touching an emotional chord in the kids. Recalling how he became what he is, Holyfield reminded them that thanks to his mother, Ammie Holyfield, he was never a "quitter".

"Trials and tribulations are part of human life. We have to face them and handle them in a positive manner. I came from a poor family of eight children. I thank my mother for all the moral support she gave us in the early part of life. This is what I wish to stress here. You respect the elders and you will succeed in life," he told the kids.

Holyfield spent more than an hour with the children, often posing for photographs and enquiring how they are feeling in the "centre."

He may have floored the best of boxers with his stunning left-and-right combinations in the ring. But it was Holyfield's turn to be at the receiving end at the media briefing. "How much did you contribute to the Paul Charity City? The question startled the 185-cm figure. But he did not hold himself back from giving an honest reply: "Nothing. But I think I am myself a big gift to them."

For someone who still says he is in search of another heavyweight title later this year, Holyfield feels boxing is no more the sport it was when he started out about three decades ago. "The boxers nowadays are more worried about money and there is little love for the sport," he said. And he takes pride in proving the people and critics wrong repeatedly.

"Before every world heavyweight bout, they tend to write me off. And many times I was the one who had the last laugh," he says. "It is me who should decide whether I am good enough to win or lose. Not the others," he said even as he threw clear hints of preparing for another showdown.

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