Evander Holyfields’ son Evan Holyfield underwent open heart surgery to correct a problem that left him a ticking timebomb.
At 25, Evan faced up to the fact he could potentially suffer a fatal cardiac arrest after feeling slow and out of breath in training.
“Yung Holy,” – who is 11 and 1 as a professional, was initially told by trainer Bert Wells to seek medical advice a year ago.
“I just saw something that wasn’t right, and I couldn’t put my hands on it,” Wells told Fox5 Atlanta.
Evander Holyfield’s son Evan undergoes heart surgery
After tests, Holyfield uncovered a heart disorder that can kill if left untreated. Doctors decided to recommend corrective surgery now.
“They hooked me up to the EKG at the urgent care, and they said something was off,” Holyfield says. “It was giving back a ‘cardiac arrest’ signal or something like that.”
Sudden Death Syndrome is becoming more common in young athletes. Therefore, Holyfield had to undergo open heart surgery at the soonest possible moment. If he didn’t, his heart could give in at the drop of a hat.
“It wasn’t until an hour before the surgery I actually recognized how serious it was,” Holyfield added. “I started looking around. I was, like, ‘Oh, snap! This is serious!'”
After waking from a successful operation, Holyfield is now one hundred percent cured. He’s back in the gym and looking to fight again soon after eight months out.
Comeback
“I have a titanium plate in my chest, and that’s, like, part of the reason, like, why they added it to make sure nothing goes wrong,” he explained before adding his caution at coming back too early. “But I know my heart’s good. I want to make sure my whole chest, like the whole bone structure, is, you know, solid.”
In addition, he’s currently involved in a rehabilitation program. Holyfield hopes it will allow him to get back in the ring sooner rather than later.
“I am the youngest person in my class. But, you know, everybody around is really nice and really cool. And, I listen to their instructions and take their advice and apply it,” he concluded.
After signing with renowned promoter Main Events, Holyfield got tipped as a future superstar. He then suffered a knockout loss to Jurmain McDonald in 2022 before uncovering the ailment two victories into his comeback.
The young contender can show off his improvements once everything heals and is fully healthy again.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer and has been the Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
