Evander Holyfield Motivates Mansfield At-Risk Students

Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter

MANSFIELD (CBS 11 SPORTS) - Dozens of students in Mansfield received some knockdown motivation from "The Real Deal."

Five-time heavyweight champion Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield spoke to an assembly of students at the Mansfield ISD Alternative Education Center.

Holyfield's mission is to keep the kids on the right track. "The fact is at their age, trying to get them to believe."

Holyfield's message was simple, "You got to listen, follow directions and not quit. These 3 things are the 3 important elements of being successful."

According to Principal Regenia Crane, the Mansfield IDS Education Center in Mansfield uses "non-traditional" methods to keep the students motivated to succeed.

"Students who are behind on their credits and, for some reason, may not graduate in 4 years or 5 years, they get to come here. We just provide instruction in a different way, to help them make up their credits so they can accomplish their diploma."

The former heavyweight champion had the attention of the room from the moment he took the stage.

And for good reason, according to student Kevin Earnest "he's better than Mike Tyson, and Muhammad, in our family, yeah. That's Holyfield."

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)