The Evander Holyfield statue is a monumental statue of famed professional boxer Evander Holyfield, located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The statue was designed by sculptor Brian Hanlon and unveiled in front of State Farm Arena on June 25, 2021.[1]
 Statue of Evander Holyfield, 2023 | |
 | |
| Location | State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
|---|---|
| Designer | Brian Hanlon |
| Material | Bronze |
| Height | 9 feet (2.7 m) |
| Dedicated date | June 25, 2021 |
| Dedicated to | Evander Holyfield |
History
editThe statue of Evander Holyfield was first announced on November 27, 2017, by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. In a press release issued that day, Reed said that the work, a 9-foot (2.7 m) tall bronze statue designed by sculptor Brian Hanlon, would be located in front of the Flatiron Building in Downtown Atlanta and would "remind viewers of his contributions to the sport of boxing and the City of Atlanta’s proud legacy of athletic achievement."[2] Reed went on to call Holyfield one of the city's "most accomplished residents".[3] Holyfield was raised in Atlanta's Bowen Homes housing project and began boxing at a young age. He accumulated numerous accolades over his professional boxing career, including winning a bronze medal in boxing at the 1984 Summer Olympics and being elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017, his first year of eligibility.[2] The $90,000 cost of the statue was part of a $4.4 million investment in public art in Downtown, Midtown, and Southwest Atlanta.[4] The press release stated that the monument would be installed in early 2018.[2]
Despite this expected installation date, an April 2019 article published by Curbed Atlanta pointed out that the statue had not yet been erected, with Hanlon claiming that the sculpture was being held in storage by the city government. In the same article, a representative of Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said they would look into the matter.[5] Another Curbed article published in November 2019 stated that the statue was no longer going to be installed in Downtown and that instead, the city was working with a neighborhood planning unit to install the statue somewhere in Southwest Atlanta.[6]
Finally, in early 2021, Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koonin offered a location in front of State Farm Arena. The Arena sits on the former site of the Omni Coliseum, where Holyfield fought three times. In a ceremony attended by local officials and Holyfield himself, the statue was unveiled on June 25, 2021.[7]
References
edit- ^ Capelouto, J. D. (June 25, 2021). "The 'Real Deal': Statue of Evander Holyfield unveiled outside State Farm Arena". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Mayor Kasim Reed Announces New Statue Honoring Evander Holyfield to be Placed in Downtown Atlanta". Government of Atlanta. November 27, 2017. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Getachew, Eden (November 28, 2017). "Giant Evander Holyfield statue to be erected Downtown". Creative Loafing. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Green, Josh (November 27, 2017). "Downtown Atlanta statue will immortalize boxing great Evander Holyfield". Curbed Atlanta. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Keenan, Sean Richard (April 4, 2019). "Whatever happened to the Evander Holyfield statue planned for downtown Atlanta?". Curbed Atlanta. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Keenan, Sean Richard (November 5, 2019). "Evander Holyfield's curiously missing statue no longer to be installed downtown". Curbed Atlanta. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Winkeljohn, Matt (June 25, 2021). "Statue of Evander Holyfield unveiled in Atlanta". AP News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
Further reading
edit- Haney, Adrianne (November 28, 2017). "'I'm honored:' Boxing legend Evander Holyfield to be enshrined as statue in Downtown". WXIA-TV. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- Jordan, Mike (December 18, 2019). "The 12 most Atlanta things that happened in Atlanta in 2019". Curbed Atlanta. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- Schultz, Jeff (October 18, 2017). "Evander Holyfield to be honored with statue in Atlanta". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2020.