Child support claims in Texas and two other states have contributed to the financial downfall of the former boxing heavyweight champion of the world, who owes anywhere from about $375,000 to $500,000 in back support, depending on the report.
Evander Holyfield, who has fathered 12 children with six women, now has been forced to sell his home to try to start settling his myriad of debts. He has asked family law judges to renegotiate his child support amounts, which people are entitled to do, contending his income has dropped since the end of his professional boxing career. As an active boxer, he made more than $230 million.
By one estimate, Holyfield has fallen $372,097 behind in his payments, and one state is taking him to court to try to get him to pay up. Another estimate pits him at $500,000 behind in payment. According to one report, he has not paid any support for one daughter, age 18, for more than two years.
Holyfield, now 49, has said he’d like to make a professional comeback. Whether the money would go to his child support, his mortgage company or the tax collector is unclear.
According to another report, Holyfield’s home, which sits on a highway named for him in a southeastern state, recently sold for $7.5 million. The home is surrounded by 235 acres.
One of the boxer’s advisers said the bank bought the home, adding Holyfield will live in it while the two sides consider their options. One published report said proceeds from the sale would go toward federal taxes that Holyfield owes. He is believed to owe more than $14 million on the mansion, and Holyfield said in 2009 that the upkeep alone was more than $1 million per year.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “TMZ: Holyfield owes $372K in child support,” Christopher Seward, June 2, 2012