Former five-time heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield will be given the keys to the city Friday afternoon by Portland Mayor Michael Brennan.

Holyfield, 51, will spend the weekend in Portland as a guest of the All Star Boxing Event, which will be held at the Portland Expo on Saturday night, according to Jessica Grondin, the city’s spokeswoman.

The main event will pit undefeated middleweight Russell Lamour Jr. of the Portland Boxing Club against Laatekwei Hammond of Worcester, Mass. for the New England Middleweight Championship.

Holyfield, who earned the nickname the Real Deal after winning world championships in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, will be making his second visit to Portland. He came to Portland in 2001 to show his support for Ben Ellis, a terminally ill member of the Portland Boxing Club.

During his career, Holyfield earned victories over such boxing legends George Foreman, Riddick Bowe, Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes and Ray Mercer.

Brennan will present the keys to the city to Holyfield at 2:30 p.m. during a ceremony at the Portland Regency Hotel and Spa, 20 Milk St.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.