 Statue of Evander Holyfield, 2023 | |
 Interactive map of Statue of Evander Holyfield | |
| 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 |
TheEvander Holyfield statue is amonumental statue of famedprofessional boxerEvander Holyfield, located inAtlanta,Georgia, United States. The statue was designed by sculptorBrian Hanlon and unveiled in front ofState Farm Arena on June 25, 2021.[1]
Thestatue ofEvander Holyfield was first announced on November 27, 2017, byAtlanta MayorKasim Reed. In apress release issued that day, Reed said that the work, a 9-foot (2.7 m) tallbronze statue designed by sculptorBrian Hanlon, would be located in front of theFlatiron Building inDowntown 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'sBowen Homes housing project and beganboxing at a young age. He accumulated numerous accolades over hisprofessional boxing career, including winning abronze medal inboxing at the 1984 Summer Olympics and being elected into theInternational 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 inpublic art in Downtown,Midtown, andSouthwest 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 byCurbed Atlanta pointed out that the statue had not yet been erected, with Hanlon claiming that the sculpture was being held in storage by thecity government. In the same article, a representative of Atlanta MayorKeisha 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 aneighborhood planning unit to install the statue somewhere in Southwest Atlanta.[6]
Finally, in early 2021,Atlanta Hawks CEOSteve Koonin offered a location in front ofState Farm Arena. The Arena sits on the former site of theOmni 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]
33°45′24.4″N84°23′49.2″W / 33.756778°N 84.397000°W /33.756778; -84.397000