FAYETTEVILLE, Georgia (AP) — Evander Holyfield’s wife claims the boxing great hit her several times after an argument about her payments to their church, and she has received a temporary protective order against him.

Candi Holyfield, the boxer’s third wife, said her 47-year-old husband hit her in the face, the back of the head and her back on the night of February 1 after she refused to show him cheque stubs of her giving to the church, according to Fayette County court records.

“He said that I was being disrespectful,” Candi Holyfield, 30, said in the February 3 court filing. “He started telling me that I needed to start putting God first in my life.”

The argument started in the middle of the night, and when the boxer turned on the light and saw her face, she said he apologised, according to the court documents.

Evander Holyfield did not return several phone calls to his cellphone seeking comment. Belinda Foster, a publicist for the couple, said in an e-mail Wednesday to The Associated Press that she’d spoken to both of them and that they remained a “strong married couple”.

It was unclear whether there was a criminal investigation. Police in the couple’s hometown of Fayetteville, which is about 32 kilometres (20 miles) south of Atlanta, have not returned several phone calls.

A magistrate judge signed a temporary order February 3 banning Evander Holyfield from being within 500 metres (yards) of his wife and their two children, a six-year-old boy and five-year-old girl. A hearing is scheduled for February 18.

Candi Holyfield said in the protective order that the abuse against her began about six months after they were married July 1, 2003, and started again when she was pregnant with their first child. She said at first it was “mainly emotional” abuse, but physical incidents have escalated since 2008.

She claimed her husband choked her in front of their daughter and housekeeper in 2008, and that last year he hit and grabbed her in front of their children. A few weeks ago, she said, he threw a bottle of water at her.

In a statement released by the publicist, Candi Holyfield said there were “misunderstandings in the representation of what happened in the situation between me and my husband”, but did not elaborate.

“Out of respect for our family, I ask that the media please respect our privacy,” she said in the statement. “This is a private matter and your consideration of this would be much appreciated.”

Evander Holyfield, a four-time heavyweight champion who has earned more than $200 million in the ring, has been attempting a comeback.