There’s no shortage of achievements from the former undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield. The man was a legend in the sport and a household name in his prime, but did you know he also featured on the big screen? Yep, ‘The Real Deal’ indeed appeared on the big screen in the 1990 movie ‘Blood Salvage.’ 24 years after his debut in Hollywood, the boxing legend took to Instagram today, reminding his fans about his accomplishment. While Holyfield’s senior fans may remember it quite fondly, the new and young fans were left stunned to see the boxing legend swing his fist in the movie, which made for some great reactions.
Evander Holyfield’s role wasn’t as extensive or deep in the movie’s story as most boxing fans would want — it was limited to a brief cameo in the 1990 horror-comedy. The film can be described as a quirky blend of horror and dark humor, which revolves around a deranged man who kidnaps people to harvest their organs and sells them on the black market.
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Holyfield played himself in the movie, making a memorable appearance as a prominent boxer who added some novelty to the film. Interestingly, however, he was also one of the producers of the movie, showing how much he really cared about this tiny role. Besides this movie, Holyfield has also featured in some others—although his roles have been short and he often played himself.
Some notable mentions would be ‘Summer of Sam’ (1999), ‘Arthur’ (2011), ‘Grudge Match’ (2013), and more recently, Holyfield appeared in a 2016 TV Show called ‘Fresh Off the Boat.’ Regardless, it appears his debut on the big screen remains his standout moment, as he asked his fans on Instagram, “Who remembers this one? 😂” while sharing a clip of his part in the 1990 movie.
Plans for a weekend binge of Evander Holyfield’s movies
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Discovering this gem on social media, fans were eager to share their thoughts and answer Holyfield’s sole question. One user got the movie’s name wrong, but correctly remembered his role in the movie. The user wrote, “Blood Harvest; I believed you were one of the producers.” However, as mentioned before, it’s ‘Blood Salvage’ and not ‘Blood Harvest’—the latter is a 2023 horror movie.
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Evander Holyfield in Hollywood—who knew? Does this change your perception of the boxing legend?
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Another user reacted to the clip, writing, “Used 1% of his power.” The clip shows Holyfield being punched in the stomach by the main antagonist, Jake Pruitt (played by Danny Nelson). In response, Holyfield delivers a powerful punch that sends Pruitt crashing to the ground. Meanwhile, watching the clip, one commenter quickly came up with a brilliant idea, remarking, “lol I’m going to make it a Holyfield blockbuster weekend 😂😂😂.” If that’s the case, an entire weekend might not be enough.
The punch from Holyfield seems to have reminded someone else of the whole ‘Bite Fight’ incident. “And, NEVER, fk’ With A Mans Ear !!!🙌👏❤️😍😂😂,” the user wrote. During their second fight, Mike Tyson bit off a portion of Holyfield’s ear, which saw Tyson’s license getting revoked, and he was fined $3 million plus in legal fees. Another fan noted they had never known about this movie, seemingly excited to learn about it. They commented, “I never saw this one 🤣🤣🤣🥊🏆🎊.” This is no surprise since, despite Holyfield’s cameo, the movie failed to achieve significant commercial success.
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That said, the post from Evander Holyfield made for a nostalgic moment for the people who knew about the rare gem, while it was a delightful surprise for those who didn’t. What did you think of Holyfield’s acting; would you watch this movie? Share in the comments below.
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Evander Holyfield in Hollywood—who knew? Does this change your perception of the boxing legend?