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Case 06/101990 – 2013
Ruin
Case SubjectEvander Holyfield

The undisputed champion whose $230 million knockout ended in foreclosure

$230,000,000 → $1,000,000 net worth

The Setup

Evander Holyfield became the only boxer in history to win the world heavyweight title four times, over a career running from the mid-1980s into the 2000s that earned him an estimated $230 million or more in purses and endorsements. He put a huge share of it into a single project outside Atlanta: a 54,000-square-foot, 109-room mansion on 235 acres, complete with two bowling alleys, a 17-seat movie theater, and a swimming pool shaped like a boxing glove.

The Turn

The estate alone reportedly cost more than $1 million a year to maintain. At the same time, Holyfield was supporting 11 children from multiple relationships, with child support obligations piling up alongside back taxes and a string of lawsuits from unpaid debts.

Where It Left Him

The bank foreclosed on the mansion in 2008. It eventually sold at auction and was bought by rapper Rick Ross in 2014 for $5.4 million — a fraction of what it cost to build. Holyfield has said publicly that he doesn't regret the life he built, even knowing how it ended.

Evander HolyfieldVerified · Public record
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