Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II - wikipedia Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II `` The Sound and the Fury '' Date June 28, 1997 Title ( s ) on the line WBA Heavyweight Championship Tale of the tape Boxer Evander Holyfield Mike Tyson Nickname `` The Real Deal '' `` Iron '' Hometown Atlanta, Georgia Catskill, New York Pre-fight record 33 -- 3 -- 0 ( 24 KO ) 45 -- 2 ( 39 KO ) Weight 218 lb 218 lb Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition WBA Heavyweight Champion WBA No. 1 Ranked Heavyweight Result Tyson disqualified in Round 3 for biting Holyfield 's ear ; Holyfield retains title Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II, billed as `` The Sound and the Fury '' and afterwards infamously referred to as `` The Bite Fight '', was a professional boxing match contested on June 28, 1997 for the WBA Heavyweight Championship. It achieved notoriety as one of the most bizarre fights in boxing history, after Tyson bit off part of Holyfield 's ear. Tyson was disqualified from the match and lost his boxing license, though it was later reinstated. The fight took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The referee officiating the fight was Mills Lane, who was brought in as a late replacement when Tyson 's camp protested the original selection of Mitch Halpern ( who officiated the first fight ) as the referee. Contents 1 Background 2 Match 2.1 Post-fight unrest 3 Aftermath 4 References Background Tyson and Holyfield fought seven months earlier in Las Vegas. Tyson was making his first defense of the WBA championship he had won from Bruce Seldon in a first round knockout. Holyfield, despite being a former champion, was a significant underdog entering the match as he had been rather lackluster in several fights since he returned to fighting in 1995 after a brief retirement. However, Holyfield surprised Tyson by controlling the contest and knocked him down in the sixth round. Halpern stopped the fight in the eleventh round, giving Holyfield an upset victory. Match This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( June 2011 ) The fight began with Holyfield dominating Tyson. Holyfield won the first three rounds. At 2 : 19 of the first round, an overhand right from Holyfield stunned Tyson, but Tyson fought back immediately pushing Holyfield backwards. 32 seconds into Round Two, Holyfield ducked under a right from Tyson, in doing so, head butting Tyson and opening a large cut over his right eye, though trainer Ritchie Giachetti believed the cut happened in the first round. Tyson had repeatedly complained about head - butting in the first bout between the two. Upon reviewing replays, referee Mills Lane stated the headbutts were unintentional and nonpunishable. As the third round was about to begin, Tyson came out of his corner without his mouthpiece. Lane ordered Tyson back to his corner to insert it. Tyson inserted his mouthpiece, got back into position and the match resumed. Tyson began the third round with a furious attack. With forty seconds remaining in the round Holyfield got Tyson in a clinch, and Tyson rolled his head above Holyfield 's shoulder and bit Holyfield on his right ear, avulsing a one - inch piece of cartilage from the top of the ear, and spitting out the piece of ear on the ring floor. As Holyfield shrieked in pain and jumped in circles, he managed to push Tyson away at which Lane called for a time - out. As Holyfield turned to walk to his corner, Tyson shoved him from behind. Lane sent Tyson to a neutral corner as an enraged Holyfield gestured for Mills Lane to look at his bitten ear which was rapidly bleeding. The fight was delayed for several minutes as Lane debated what to do. Lane 's original decision was to immediately disqualify Tyson, but after the ringside doctor determined that Holyfield was able to continue despite the massive bite, Lane announced he would be deducting two points from Tyson and the fight would continue. Bobby Czyz, who was calling the fight with Steve Albert for Showtime, said, `` I wonder how this would have played in Mitch Halpern 's eyes, '' and Albert told Czyz, `` That 's a thought, Bobby. '' As Lane explained the decision to Tyson and his cornermen, Tyson asserted that the injury to Holyfield 's ear was the result of a punch. `` Bullshit, '' retorted Lane. The fight was resumed. During another clinch, Tyson bit Holyfield 's left ear. Holyfield threw his hands around to get out of the clinch and jumped back. Tyson 's second bite just scarred Holyfield 's ear. Lane did not stop the fight this time, so the two men continued fighting until time expired. The men walked back to their respective corners when the second bite was discovered and the fight was then stopped. Post-fight unrest After the fight was stopped, Tyson went on a rampage at Holyfield and his trainer Brooks while they were still in their corner. Mills Lane told Tyson 's corner that he was disqualifying Tyson for biting Holyfield. To protect Holyfield, security surrounded him in his corner and Tyson was taken back to his corner by security. Mills Lane was interviewed, and said he knew the bites were intentional through his experience and told Tyson not to bite anymore and Tyson asked for his disqualification by disobeying the order. Holyfield left the ring seconds after the interview which gave the fans and audience the hint that the fight was over. Holyfield told the press afterward that Tyson bit him because he knew he was going to get knocked out and he chose to lose in a disqualification instead. Reporters then interviewed Mike Tyson 's instructor who was ranting about Lane 's decision. The instructor said : `` They will have to explain that. I do not agree with it but it is what it is... all I know is Mike Tyson has a cut in his eye. '' Twenty - five minutes after the brawl ended, announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. read the decision : `` Ladies and gentlemen, this bout has been stopped at the end of round number three. The referee in charge, Mills Lane, disqualifies Mike Tyson for biting Evander Holyfield in both ears, the winner by way of disqualification and still the WBA Champion of the world, Evander ' The Real Deal ' Holyfield ! '' As a result Holyfield remained the WBA Heavyweight champion. Tyson said it was retaliation for the headbutts. Later, during interviews Tyson was walking back to his locker room when a fan from the stadium tossed a bottle of water in his direction. Tyson, his instructor and a pain manager climbed over a temporary railing and up into the stands, made obscene gestures to the crowd, and made their way up the side of a stairway. Tyson had to be restrained as he was led off. When interviewed about his championship and the incident with Tyson, Holyfield said he already forgave Tyson for biting him since he has 100 % faith in God and Jesus. Nonetheless, Tyson was sentenced with a permanent suspension from boxing and his license cancelled indefinitely. Tyson was also fined $3,000,000 and had to serve a period of community service. After a year and an appeal in court, Tyson 's license was reinstated. When Tyson and Holyfield retired from boxing they befriended each other and are now close friends today. Aftermath As a result of biting Holyfield on both ears and other behavior, Tyson 's boxing license was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and he was fined $ 3 million plus legal costs. The revocation was not permanent ; a little more than a year later on October 18, 1998, the commission voted 4 -- 1 to restore Tyson 's boxing license. In the 2008 documentary Tyson, the boxer claimed he did it as retaliation for the headbutting. On October 16, 2009 on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Tyson apologized to Holyfield. Holyfield accepted his apology and forgave Tyson. A book entitled The Bite Fight was made in 2013 by George Willis, illustrating the lives of some of those involved and the fight itself. References Jump up ^ Lane late replacement, center of action, AP via Slam ! Boxing, 1997 - 06 - 29, Retrieved on 2007 - 03 - 09. Jump up ^ Tyson : ' I 'd bite again ', BBC Sports, 1999 - 10 - 04, Retrieved on 2007 - 04 - 18. Jump up ^ Weinberg, Rick. `` 30 : Tyson bites Holyfield 's ear in rematch ''. ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved 6 March 2015. Jump up ^ Brookhouse, Brent ( December 25, 2012 ). `` Great moments in heavyweight rematch history : Tyson vs Holyfield II and ' The Bite ' ''. Vox Media Inc. SB Nation. Retrieved 6 March 2015. Jump up ^ Lutz, Tom ( October 22, 2013 ). `` Mike Tyson ' wanted to kill ' Evander Holyfield ''. Guardian News and Media. The Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2015. Jump up ^ Friend, Tom ( June 29, 1997 ). `` Tyson Disqualified for Biting Holyfield 's Ears ''. The New York Times Company. The New York Times. Retrieved 6 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` Mike Tyson Tells Oprah Why He Bit Evander Holyfield -- The Sweet Science ''. thesweetscience.com. Jump up ^ Dawes, Mike ( February 18, 2013 ). `` Come ear and give me a hug ! Tyson and Holyfield share warm embrace... 15 years after Iron Mike 's infamous bite ''. Mail Online. Associated Newspapers Ltd. Daily Mail. Retrieved 2 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` Mike Tyson to induct Evander Holyfield into new boxing hall of fame ''. SFGate.com. SFGate. Retrieved 2 March 2015. Jump up ^ Tyson banned for life, AP via Slam ! Boxing, 1997 - 07 - 09, Retrieved on 2007 - 03 - 10. Jump up ^ Mike Tyson timeline, ESPN.com, 2002 - 01 - 29, Retrieved on 2009 - 03 - 24. Jump up ^ `` Mike Tyson Apologizes Video ''. oprah.com. Mike Tyson Fights Tyson vs. Green Tyson vs. Frazier Berbick vs. Tyson Tyson vs. Smith Tyson vs. Thomas Tyson vs. Tucker Tyson vs. Biggs Tyson vs. Holmes Tyson vs. Tubbs Tyson vs. Spinks Tyson vs. Bruno Tyson vs. C. Williams Tyson vs. Douglas Tyson vs. Tillman Tyson vs. Stewart Tyson vs. Ruddock Tyson vs. Ruddock II Tyson vs. McNeeley Tyson vs. Mathis Bruno vs. Tyson II Seldon vs. Tyson Tyson vs. Holyfield Holyfield vs. Tyson II Tyson vs. Botha Tyson vs. Norris Tyson vs. Francis Tyson vs. Savarese Tyson vs. Golota Tyson vs. Nielsen Lewis vs. Tyson Tyson vs. Etienne Tyson vs. D. Williams Tyson vs. McBride Important figures Cus D'Amato Jimmy Jacobs Bill Cayton Teddy Atlas Kevin Rooney Richie Giachetti Don King Robin Givens ( wife ) Alan Dershowitz Bobby Stewart In popular culture Film Tyson ( 1995 ) Black and White Tyson ( 2008 ) Television Fallen Champ : The Untold Story of Mike Tyson Taking on Tyson Bad Crazy Mike Tyson Mysteries Miscellaneous Balrog Drederick Tatum I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson Mike Tyson 's Punch - Out ! ! The Tyson Zone WrestleMania XIV Iron Mike Productions Other Peek - a-boo Evander Holyfield Fights Douglas vs. Holyfield Holyfield vs. Foreman Holyfield vs. Cooper Holyfield vs. Holmes Holyfield vs. Bowe Bowe vs. Holyfield II Holyfield vs. Moorer Bowe vs. Holyfield III Tyson vs. Holyfield Holyfield vs. Tyson II Holyfield vs. Moorer II Holyfield vs. Bean Holyfield vs. Lewis Holyfield vs. Lewis II Holyfield vs. Ruiz Holyfield vs. Ruiz II Ruiz vs. Holyfield III Byrd vs. Holyfield Valuev vs. Holyfield Important figures Shelly Finkel George Benton Lou Duva Don Turner Emanuel Steward Ronnie Shields Don King In popular culture Film Necessary Roughness Summer of Sam Arthur Television Dancing with the Stars ( U.S. season 1 ) Saturday Night 's Main Event Celebrity Big Brother 13 Other Evander Holyfield 's Real Deal Boxing Real Deal Records Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Evander_Holyfield_vs._Mike_Tyson_II&oldid=807289065 '' Categories : World Boxing Association heavyweight championship matches 1997 in boxing Boxing in Las Vegas 1997 in sports in Nevada History of boxing Violence in sports Boxing matches involving Evander Holyfield Boxing matches involving Mike Tyson June 1997 sports events MGM Grand Garden Arena Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2017 Articles needing additional references from June 2011 All articles needing additional references Articles with unsourced statements from November 2015 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano Suomi Edit links This page was last edited on 27 October 2017, at 01 : 50. 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Question: who got their ear bit off in boxing
Answer: Evander Holyfield