At home with Evander Holyfield and his new bride: former heavyweight champ opens the doors to his Atlanta paradise - A 109-Room Showplace

BY all accounts, Evander Holyfield was never supposed to be much of anything. Born in Atmore, Ala., one of nine children reared by a single mother with a sixth-grade education, he was told over and over again that he was too poor, too inarticulate, too Black to break the grip of poverty and despair. But armed with a strong faith in a higher being, a strong belief in himself, and a strong chin, Holyfield defied the odds, rewrote boxing history, and earned more than $150 million.

Living by the philosophy that "no one chooses his start, but everyone can choose his finish," the man who's been called "God's champion" now lives a life better than any dream he could have fancied when he first began boxing at a boys and girls club at age 8.

Today, home for Holyfield is a 54,000-square-foot estate on 235 acres outside of Atlanta. One of the biggest homes in the Southeast, it boasts a mind-boggling 109 rooms, including 11 bedrooms, 17 bathrooms, a bowling alley, Olympic-size pool and a stable stocked with a half-dozen horses.

Ten years ago, Holyfield paid $1 million for the property, which was once a horse farm. The house, however, wasn't completed until 1999. It is a far cry from the apartment Holyfield once shared with two buddies when he was 21, or the $50,000 condo he lived in until he had $2 million in the bank. Inside the home, a double-spiral staircase at the foot of a three-story rotunda greets visitors. The foyer features a baby grand piano. The dining room seats more than two dozen people. There is even an elevator for easy access to each floor.

Holyfield hosts a big barbeque at his estate for thousands of local kids every July 4th. The summer BBQ has become known across the Southeast for its good eats and spectacular fireworks show and is even bigger than the city of Atlanta's pyrotechnics display. "When the kids from the community see that I'm a common guy, that I came from the ghetto, they believe they can do it," he says. "They hear my story, and the stuff that I have been through, and they believe they can do it."

Recently, the 41-year-old warrior opened up his home, a rare occurrence for a man who is extremely private. He also opened up his heart, candidly discussing his spiritual strength, personal weaknesses, and hopes for his future with his new wife.

Spend some time with Holyfield and it becomes easy to understand why he's one of the most likeable boxers in the oft-maligned sport. Although he says that in boxing, the "goal is to beat the guy as quickly as possible" and that "hurt is part of the game," he says that he has never harbored any ill will toward an opponent. He calls himself a "praying man," and while students of religion have been quick to tell him that "there ain't no God in boxing," he has tried to be an example of how religious principles can be woven into the brutal nature of prizefighting. He says that he constantly reads the Ten Commandments and his Bible. He prays every day. He prays before his fights. He even prays during combat. "I've never been angry with any fighter," he says. "This is my job. People have always told me that I had to get tough, that I had to curse, throw things, point my finger at people. I have never done that. I couldn't let my mama hear me cursing on TV. My mama lived right across the street. She would've come over and whipped me if she heard me cursing. It took some time for people to understand me. You don't have to be a savage to box. I don't have to curse anybody out. I don't have to hate you. I don't have to find out what kind of lifestyle you have. It's my job to fight."

Over the last two decades, Holyfield has accumulated a record of 38 wins (25 knockouts), 7 losses, and 2 draws, rising to the ranks of elite boxers by many times winning against much bigger opponents. The first four-time heavyweight boxing champion, be has been a part of legendary fights against Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe and Lennox Lewis.

But over the years, Holyfield's personal life, particularly his many marriages and many children, has garnered as many headlines as his boxing career. Saying that he is a man who "has to be married," Holyfield surprised even his closest friends last July when he wed 24-year-old Candi Smith, an Emory University student from the Cayman Islands, at a local courthouse in Atlanta. The two met in an airport. "We started hanging out and got married," he says of his new wife, who is now pregnant.

A two-time divorce with nine children, Holyfield's first marriage lasted for six years and produced five children. ("I was young and didn't know the values of a marriage. I was 22. I hadn't dated a lot. Being from the ghetto, I had never been around someone really pretty. You think that's all it takes. But we were not alike.") His second marriage (to Dr. Janice Itson) lasted for two years and resulted in the birth of son Elijah. ("I wanted to do the right thing. I wanted to get a spiritual lady, someone who loves God. But I found out that was just one thing. There has to be common things between you. She was from Chicago. She didn't like nature," he says. "She was highly educated. There's nothing wrong with that. You just have to have a balance.")