The model and son of heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield, who accompanied his son to the gala, admitted that he had been swabbed to be a bone-marrow donor in hopes of impressing a girl he was dating.

For a teenager from Tennessee named Darian Craig, it was a lifesaving move.

Holyfield Jr. and Craig met for the first time at the event, held at Cipriani Wall Street. The Nashville teen’s mother, Tina Craig, was overcome with emotion, holding on to Holyfield Jr. for quite a long time. Holyfield Sr. presented the teen with an autographed boxing glove. “You’re a true fighter,” he said.

Katharina Harf, who channeled her grief after her mother’s 1991 death from leukemia into what is believed to be the world’s largest bone-marrow donor center, noted that the pairing was particularly rare, because it’s highly unusual for people of two different ethnic backgrounds to have such close tissue-type matches.

Harf, whose organization has been responsible for saving more than 35,000 lives via bone-marrow transplants, noted that her late mother is at the center of all of the work. “My mother remains the inspiration behind our mission,” said Harf.

The evening also tugged at the heartstrings with the plight of the Murry family of St. Louis. Tim and Maggie Murry’s four sons all have a rare condition called Diamond-Blackfan anemia, which keeps the body from producing red blood cells. Bone-marrow transplants are the only cure for the disease, and without them, Sean, Patrick, Danny and Timmy might not make it past their 20s. While the family has been responsible for recruiting 14,000 donors, none have yet proven to be a match for any of the boys.

The event honored Vera Wang, Leighton Meester and OPI’s Suzi Weiss-Fischmann. Meester appeared via video, but Wang’s presenter added extra electricity to the evening: Katy Perry.

Perry, clad in a strapless blue patterned Vera Wang creation, noted that she was in town not only to honor Wang but also to show off her new fragrance, which is due from Coty in September. While she kept mum on most of the details, she did note that her previous scents, Purr and Meow, “were very much me at that time and this new fragrance represents where I am now.”

Lindsey Vonn was on the carpet in a blue patterned Derek Lam dress, noting that it was her first time out without a leg brace after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament and fracturing the upper end of her shin bone. “That’s why I’m wearing flats,” she noted.

The event, which raised about $3.7 million, also featured musical performances by Jill Scott and Lady Antebellum.

By JULIE NAUGHTON and PETE BORN

“It hurts,” he told the crowd gathered at Fraserview Hall. “It don’t make no difference how old or what grade you in when people laugh at you.”

Holyfield, speaking at a fundraiser for the Amanda Todd Legacy Fund, says he was laughed at as a child because he couldn’t read.

“They started laughing at me in kindergarten,” he said.

“It is amazing in kindergarten when they say you don’t know your alphabet and you sitting then there seeing people the same age and everybody laugh and the teacher don’t stop them.”

Amanda Todd’s mother Carol said Holyfield’s involvement is a huge help to the cause.

“It was like, ‘Wow. This is big news having someone like him wanting to be attached to the [Amanda Todd] Legacy Fund,’” she said.

Port Coquitlam high school student Amanda Todd’s suicide following years of blackmail and bullying has sparked an outpouring of grief and concern online. (Facebook)
Amanda Todd committed suicide last year after posting a YouTube video detailing how she was stalked and bullied for years.

Carol Todd says she is surprised her daughter’s story continues to draw attention from around the world.

She says being involved in sport builds discipline and dedication.

“When kids go out there and feel confident about themselves they will be less likely to bully because you are holding your head up high and know can do something well,” she said.

Partial proceeds from Monday’s event will go to the Amanda Todd Legacy Fund.

Holyfield is also donating money from the sale of a new barbeque sauce to anti-bullying campaigns.

CBC News Posted: Jan 29, 2013 6:23 AM PT

A portion of sales from “Real Deal Grill” and my “Real Deal BBQ Sauce” will help support a “World Without Bullying.”

Q: D J Master Bass: What was your greatest win??
A: AS AN AMATEUR IT WAS MAKING THE OLYMPIC TEAM AND AS A PROFESSIONAL IT WAS BEATING MIKE TYSON.

Q: Mike Purves: Whats your definition of success ?
A: BEING ABLE TO REACH THE GOAL THAT YOU HAVE SET.

Q: Timmy Hara: what motivated you to be a boxer.and what was the feeling like to carry the Olympic torch
A: THE IDEA THAT YOU COULD BE CONSIDERED A NOBODY AND YOU CAN ALSO BE A CHAMP IF YOU BELIEVE

Q: Alan Evenden: What goes through your mind in the last round of a real hard fight??
A: FINISHING

Q: Mike Clark: Which Boxer inspired you the most Champ?
A: MUHAMMAD ALI

Q: Ardie Melton: I named my second son after you. Evander Lee. What is your middle name?
A: I DON’T HAVE A MIDDLE NAME

Q: Andi Mullahi: Tips for Mental Toughness chief?
A: YOU CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING THAT YOU BELIEVE

Q: Alex Malkin: What’s you’re plan and goals in next year? When you will come visit in Russia we love you chemp.
A: TO BE BETTER

Q: @ElDiego1986: Which fight do you consider your best ever performance & why? #AskRealDeal
A: I WOULD SAY THE FIGHT WITH MICHAEL MOORER

Q: @Jamesperry89: #AskRealDeal @holyfield do you still keep fit an work out with the intensity you would train for a fight ?
A: WHEN I AM TRAINING FOR A FIGHT THE INTENSITY IS NOT THE SAME AS MY DAILY WORKOUTS.

By Jill Martin Wrenn, CNN

Toi Irvin made a correction to this article in regards to the article stating that Evander Holyfield is a sales agent with Primerica. The correction states that Evander has partnered up with Primerica and also stands to correct that he is not a sales agent. If you would like more information please contact info@evanderholyfield.com or pfswealth@aol.com and address email to Jeanine Martin.

It’s not often you get to come face to face with a heavyweight champion of the world, but a lot of homeless people and volunteers got that chance today.

Evander Holyfield is part of a Global Village of Champions event with St Vincent De Paul. Feeding the hungry is an important mission for Holyfield.

“Global Village, we feed the homeless, and it’s part of life. It’s how I grew up. Someone helped me, nobody goes anywhere without opportunities,” says Holyfield.

NFL Hall of Famer Nick Lowery founded Global Village with a specific goal.

“The purpose of today is not to say it’s about one more event, it’s not about fundraising. It’s actually a commitment to feed the homeless the first week of every year for the next 20 years, starting here in Phoenix with St. Vincent De Paul,” says Lowery.

The message — feeding the hungry shouldn’t just be a priority during the holidays, but throughout the year.

“It’s an eye opener knowing how many people out there are really homeless. You wouldn’t think in the United States, you wouldn’t think that many people… but we have to take care of the people here before we take care of anyone else,” says Holyfield.

Holyfield says he was inspired to join the Global Village of Champions because one of the founding members was valley resident and boxing legend Mohammed Ali.

By Troy Hayden, FOX 10 News – bio

As of recently, there’s another Holyfield in town, one 23 years his junior, and less than half his physical stature—the “him” in question being, of course, former undisputed World Champion boxer Evander Holyfield. The chatter around Evette Holyfield, the second to oldest of the sports hero’s 11 children, and her countless business ventures—including an upcoming book and workout DVD—is getting louder by the minute. In addition to her entrepreneurial sprit, Evette serves as a motivational speaker to at-risk teenage girls, and has even announced a decision to remain a virgin until marriage.

Now, the 27-year-old is stepping further into the ring of life (and the spotlight) with clear vision and a mission. Steadfast in her faith and secure in her purpose, she’s committed to a journey of empowering women; she gave EBONY a sneak peek into her life and work.

EBONY: You’ve got a lot going on right now! Let’s start with the book. How’s it coming along?
Evette Holyfield: I’m really excited about it! It’s going to help empower women [in regards to] what they want to do and the keys to get there. I’ll also be giving them tips on things that I’ve done in my life with relationships, my career and how I’ve gotten to the point that I’ve gotten to now. I’m super truthful. I don’t sugarcoat anything and I wouldn’t want someone to sugarcoat something with me. I’m, like, brutally honest.

EBONY: With all of your ventures, your primary goal is to empower women. When did you realize that it was a passion of yours?
EH: It really started at a young age, just having my dad to encourage me to do the things that I want to do. I’ve always just been an encouraging person. Even when I would meet young women, I would just start talking to them about my life, and how I had taken this stance on being a virgin and all of these things. It just kind of happened.

EBONY: I see how motivational speaking was a natural role for you to take on. Your decision to remain a virgin until marriage has certainly gotten some attention. How does that make you feel?
EH: It’s not even about not having sex; it’s really about knowing who you are and owning who you are. [It’s about] living that out and being a healthier person, and realizing why you’re doing the things that you’re doing. It’s not [about] trying to be like me because this is my reality. This is who I am. I just encourage women to know who they are as a person—to know what they want, what their value is and what their strengths and weaknesses are.

EBONY: Your strong sense of self has helped you on your path to becoming a businesswoman and remaining true to what you’ve identified as your calling by God. What are some key lessons you’ve learned regarding business and relationships thus far?
EH: You have to separate people that are just talking a lot in your ear and people that are actually doing stuff. My dad always says, “Put it down on paper.” You also have to listen and be open-minded to what people are saying to you [because] you don’t know everything. I’m still working on a lot of things that I thought that I knew, and I don’t.

EBONY: As a former track athlete, one thing you do know about is healthy living—especially as it pertains to fitness. Tell us about the DVD you have in the works.
EH: I’ve been working [on the video] with Cliff Hollywood [who] trains a lot of the stars, such as Usher and Nicki Minaj, here in Atlanta. I want women to feel empowered not just by learning about what they want to do with their career; I also want them to feel good about themselves physically.

EBONY: You seem dedicated to taking a more holistic approach to women’s empowerment.
EH: It all comes back to wanting women to be empowered [when it comes to] what they want to do with their careers, as well as physically, spiritually and everything else.

Follow Evette on Twitter @evetteholyfield!