By Jackie Kallen
This is the busiest shopping weekend of the year. Everyone is looking for not only a bargain, but something unique and different. Ties, shirts, and books are no longer numbers 1, 2 and 3 on anyone’s list. If you are looking for a gift for the boxing fan in your life, look no further than Julienslive.com. They are auctioning off most of Evander Holyfield’s belongings.
As sad as it is to witness a man who has made millions of dollars have to liquidate his entire life’s possessions, there are a lot of amazing items available for the clever bidder.
Some of the stuff looks like it was gathered up just for the auction. Sparring gloves, hand wraps, etc. But other items are authentic pieces of an incredible career. There are inexpensive things and very costly souvenirs. There is truly something for every budget.
The white boxing trunks he wore when he fought Francois Botha are valued at $2,000-$4,000. There is currently one bid of 1,000. The robe and trunks he wore against Chris Byrd have no bids yet. They can be purchased together or separately. Starting bids are set at $1500 for the robe and $1000 for the trunks.
There is a set of ten Versace ties for sale, valued between $800-$1200.The discernible shopper can grab the entire set for as little as $400. That’s a mere $40 per tie. If you go to a store like Nordstrom’s to buy a Versace tie, you will spend 3-4 times that much.
If you watched Evander when he competed on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2005, you may want to buy the shoes he wore. Starting bid on this treasure is $100. That may entice fans of the show as well as fans of Holyfield’s.
With Winter coming, someone is going to snap up the Zandra Rhodes full-length fur coat. There are currently only two bids at $150, so you can still join in on the action and possibly get a steal.
For the jewelry lover, there are already 3 bids on a Rolex watch valued at $1500-$2000. There is a $5,000 Cartier “Pasha” watch available with only two bids of $2,000. Then there are the less expensive watches, with no bids on them yet. There are rings, pendants, cufflinks and other bling for sale.
If you want to get really fancy, you can buy a set of two crystal chandeliers from his mansion. The combined worth is close to $10,000 but you can buy the both for three grand or one of them for as low as $1500. Then there is his Steinway grand piano. At this point there is only one bid ($3,000). It is worth more than twice that amount.
Evander’s black 1990 Mercedes Benz 500 SL can be purchased for a starting bid of $4,000. If you want to stay in that price range, there is his 1987 IBF cruiserweight belt. It is valued higher than the car, but a starting bid of $5,000 will put you in the running.
You can buy his linens, his candlesticks, his lamps and other personal items of clothing. You can buy furniture from just about every room of the house and there are plenty of misc. trunks, robes, gloves, hand wraps and training gear.
For the real serious collector, you can buy the purple trunks he wore against Mike Tyson on November 9, 1996. They are valued between $10,000-$15,000 with a starting bid of $5,000. For the same price you can own the gloves he wore on June 28, 1997 at the MGM Grand in Vegas. This was the infamous “Bite Fight.”
I am sure there will be the fans who will buy certain items and then give them back to the champ. Especially the championship rings and belts. They truly belong with Holyfield. But many other buyers will be thrilled to own a piece of boxing history for their personal memorabilia collections.
Jackie Kallen is a boxing manager who has been in the business for over three decades. Her life inspired the Meg Ryan film “Against the Ropes” and she was a part of the NBC series “The Contender.” www.JackieKallen.com, www.facebook.com/JackieKallen
