The role of Evander Holyfield in a movie would really depend on what age they were portraying him as and whether or not he was the focus of the story. We’ve seen a lot of boxing movies dedicated to a lot of different boxers and have yet seen boxers that had a name in history displayed as supporting characters at best. If Holyfield was to be the main star of the movie then it would definitely fall to a big-name actor, or someone that could play the part at least, perhaps some breakout star that needed a notable role to play in order to be noticed. But likely it would go to someone that people could recognize and someone that, like Will Smith, might bring the right kind of attitude and verve to the role, since Holyfield has been a larger than life personality throughout the years, and fans would no doubt want to see someone that was really capable of showing just how good he was in his prime. The only question apart from his role at this time would be who might be brought in to play his opponents, since a biopic would really need to take a look at his life in the ring.
Here are a few names that might be able to step up and play Holyfield.
5. Wesley Snipes
Snipes definitely needs the work since back in the 90s he was on top of his game, but getting busted and doing time really didn’t do his reputation a lot of good. Even upon his return he really hasn’t been doing that much to be fair, but perhaps another fighting movie could put him closer to where he was back in the day. After all he did rock pretty hard in Undisputed when the movies started out, and he made it clear that he can bang when he really has to, at least for a movie. There’s always been a debate just who would win a fist fight between himself and a few others, but as far as the movie goes he’s able to impress a lot of people.
4. Djimon Hounsou
The only problem with some of the guys on this list is that they’re getting kind of old at this point and might really need to hit the gym for a while before digging into a role such as this. When you look at it, Evander was in pretty good shape in his prime, which means that any actor taking on this role would have to be as close as possible in order to be passable. That being said, Hounsou has also played a fighter in the movies before, albeit more of a mixed martial artist at times. But it could be that this might be a movie made for him to show how great he can be, if not for the accent that’s hard to mask.
3. Michael Jai White
His acting is a bit stiff at times to be real, but Michael Jai White can definitely bang on screen and his moves are impressive. As far as boxing goes he did go on to star in Undisputed with Scott Adkins, who went on to further fame as Boyka later on. White is kind of an underrated star however that doesn’t always get the kind of credit he should be getting, but this is usually because of his acting to be fair since he does come off a little wooden. If he could loosen up a bit and just have fun with a role then he might be able to be a huge pick for a lot of other movies that could use someone with his skills.
2. Bokeem Woodbine
This might sound like kind of an odd pick but it’s the look and the size that Bokeem could attain that really put him here. His acting isn’t bad really since he’s been with some of the best in the business and held his own just fine. The whole boxing angle is what might need to be worked on, though everything else should be fine. Whether or not he would want this role would be the question since taking on a part like this would be able to make some people and push their career to new heights, or it could ruin them and really make life difficult from there on.
1. Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx definitely sounds like a lock for a lot of parts since he’s become insanely versatile during the length of his career. From his time on In Living Color to now he’s put in enough work as enough different characters that trying to come up with a character he couldn’t play is a little more difficult. This guy went from playing the part of an egotistical quarterback in Any Given Sunday to playing Ray Charles, so it’s with great confidence that he could take on the role of a hardened boxer.
Those are my picks, I’d love to see someone else’s ideas of who could fill the role.
Follow Us
