Mike Tyson Bites Off Evander Holyfields Ear. - YouTube.flv - YouTube Mike Tyson Bites Off Evander Holyfields Ear. - YouTube.flv Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on May 28, 2012 Mike lives up to his reputation for sure. Not once, but 2wice. LOL whatta guy. Category Mike Tyson bites ear - Jun 28, 1997 - HISTORY.com Mike Tyson bites ear Publisher A+E Networks On June 28, 1997, Mike Tyson bites Evander Holyfield’s ear in the third round of their heavyweight rematch. The attack led to his disqualification from the match and suspension from boxing, and was the strangest chapter yet in the champion’s roller-coaster career. Mike Tyson enjoyed a rapid rise to stardom.

In 1986 he became the youngest heavyweight champion in history by beating Trevor Berbick at just 19 years old. By 1989, however, Tyson had begun a long downward spiral into sports infamy. His erratic behavior included marrying and divorcing actress Robin Givens (after being accused by her of domestic violence), firing and suing his manager, breaking his hand in an early morning street brawl and two car accidents, one of which was reportedly a suicide attempt. Tyson also fired trainer Kevin Rooney and replaced him with notorious promoter Don King. Unable to keep his focus on boxing, Tyson, once thought unbeatable, lost the heavyweight title after being knocked out by 42-to-1 underdog James “Buster” Douglas in a stunning upset on February 11, 1990. In 1991, Tyson was accused of rape by Desiree Washington, a contestant in a beauty pageant he was judging in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was convicted on February 10, 1992, and served three years and one month in a federal penitentiary.

Once released, Tyson regained his heavyweight belts and then planned a bout with Evander Holyfield, a clean-living, religious former heavyweight champion from Georgia who was considered the best heavyweight challenger for Tyson after number-one contender Lennox Lewis, who Tyson refused to schedule. Holyfield had retired in 1994, but the prospect of a huge payday proved tempting, and on November 9, 1996, the underdog Holyfield shocked the boxing world by beating Tyson in an 11th round TKO to win Tyson’s WBA title. Holyfield came into the widely anticipated rematch on this day in 1997 even stronger than he had been for the first fight. In the first round, he hit Tyson hard with body shots while Tyson flailed away, ignoring the science of boxing his trainer had promised he would employ. By the end of the round, the crowd chanted Holyfield’s name, turning on the usual fan favorite Tyson. In the second round, Holyfield head-butted Tyson, opening a cut over Tyson’s right eye. In the third round, Tyson lost what composure he had left.

He spit out his mouthpiece, bit off a chunk out of Holyfield’s right ear and then spit it onto the canvas. Though Holyfield was in obvious pain the fight resumed after a brief stoppage, and then Tyson bit Holyfield’s other ear. With 10 seconds left in the third round, he was disqualified. His $30 million purse was withheld while Nevada boxing officials reviewed the fight. Events in Tyson’s life took repeated turns for the worse in the aftermath of the fight, and culminated in his declaring bankruptcy–in part due to $400,000 a year spent on maintaining a flock of pet pigeons–and an arrest for cocaine possession. In 2006, Tyson agreed to join Heidi Fleiss’ legal brothel in Nevada as a prostitute. Related Videos Mike Tyson 'returns Evander Holyfield's ear' 16 years after infamous bite fight in Footlocker advert | Daily Mail Online comments It is considered one of the most famous sports scandals of all time, but is seems Mike Tyson has finally made full amends with Evander Holyfield – at least on screen.

The imaginary scenario is played out in a Footlocker advert which sees Mike hand back Holyfield’s missing piece, explaining he ‘kept that in formaldehyde’. Mike Tyson was disqualified after the 1997 incident when he bit off the top of his opponent’s ear during their heavyweight world title fight. VIDEO: Scroll down to watch Mike Tyson give Evander Holyfield his ear back Making amends: The Footlocker ad sees Mike Tyson return Evander Holyfield's ear with a remorseful look The commercial sees basketball player Kyrie Irving imagining that ‘all is right with the world’, going into a daydream featuring the legendary boxers. The dream shows Mike Tyson turning up at Evander Holyfield’s door, presenting him with a small box. ‘I’m sorry, Evander,’ Tyson says. ‘It’s your ear.

‘I kept that in formaldehyde.’ Surprise visit: Evander looks lost for words when he sees Tyson turning up at his door Keepsake: Mike Tyson apologies and explains that he has kept Evander Holyfield's ear in formaldehyde Back where it belongs: Evander reaches out to take the 'ear' which has been missing since the 1997 match Since reuniting on the Oprah Winfrey show in 2009, 12 years after the ear-biting fight, the pair have rekindled their 90s friendship. Last year they famously exchanged quips about the incident on Twitter as Holyfield began promoting his Real Deal BBQ Sauce. Holyfield posted: ‘My realdealbbqsauce.com will make you take a bite out of someone's ear!

Ask Mike Tyson – Luv ya bro!’ Reunited: Evander seems moved by Mike's gesture Friends again: The former foes embrace, putting all their differences behind them at last In support of his buddy, Tyson responded: Holyfield's ear would've been much better with his new BBQ sauce.’ When the two heavyweights met earlier this year at a promotional event for Holyfield’s barbeque sauce Tyson said‘I just wanted to see Evander, man. I love Evander. I'm forever linked with him for the rest of my life.’ The Footlocker commercial also features staff and travellers in an airport cheering as Dennis Rodman books a one-way ticket to North Korea. Famous fight: Mike Tyson bites off the top of Evander Holyfield's ear during their 1997 fight Mike Tyson Tells Oprah Why He Bit Evander Holyfield - The Sweet Science Mike Tyson Tells Oprah Why He Bit Evander Holyfield By Frank Lotierzo on Oct 13 2009 12:00 am Since turning pro in March of 1985 there have been a ton of tags used to describe former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

Here's another to add to the list: “truth-teller.” This past Monday afternoon Mike Tyson was on the Oprah Winfrey show to discuss the James Toback documentary that was released earlier this year titled “Tyson.” During the show Mike was asked about all the well known ups and downs of his life in and out of the ring. However, the question and answer I was struck by most came when Winfrey asked why he bit Evander Holyfield's ears during their second fight. Tyson's answer revealed what the true reason was for why he did it, although it wasn't a surprise to those who knew the reason all along. But it was refreshing to hear the truth come from his lips without any reservation. Mike told Oprah that Holyfield head-butted him a lot during their first fight and was doing it again during the rematch. He said that was a part of why he bit him but it was more because he was “so pissed off that Holyfield was such a great fighter and wanted to desperately beat him.” Tyson's words indicate just how deep it ran inside of him that he was in the ring fighting a guy who he couldn't beat straight up, man versus man.

After Tyson bit Holyfield's ears that June night back in 1997, he was given every excuse in the world by many who just couldn't accept Tyson could lose a fight if he was in shape and fighting with a sense of purpose and not looking past an opponent like he had Buster Douglas when he suffered his first loss. Most forget that Holyfield and Tyson came up during the same era and were on a collision course during the mid to late eighties. Evander, who weighed 177 in his pro-debut was cleaning out the cruiserweight division during the same time as Tyson, who weighed 214 for his pro debut, was going through the heavyweight division. They were scheduled to fight in November of 1991 when Tyson injured his rib training and the bout had to be postponed. Shortly after that Tyson was convicted of rape and went to prison for three years. A year and a half after getting out of prison Tyson stopped Frank Bruno to win the WBC title and Bruce Seldon to gain the WBA title. Holyfield on the other hand had been stopped for the first time in his career by Riddick Bowe and looked awful winning against Bobby Czyz in his last two fights.

When Holyfield and Tyson signed to fight there was no demand for the fight because Holyfield was considered finished at the time. In fact Evander had to get medical clearance from the Mayo clinic before the fight could be sanctioned by the Nevada Athletic Commission because the prevailing thought was Tyson wouldn't just beat Holyfield, but might possibly injure him. To sell the first fight many cable companies across America offered a pay per-round package for those who purchased the fight so the fans wouldn't feel ripped off if the fight only lasted a couple rounds. When the fight turned out to be one of the better heavyweight fights of the decade won by the 12-1 underdog Holyfield, the rematch was made. After Tyson lost the first fight he said he took Holyfield lightly and didn't realize Evander could still fight and promised to be in great shape mentally and physically for the rematch. This was a must win fight legacy- wise for Tyson due to the fact that it was the first time he was meeting a fighter a second time who beat him. Tyson took the fight seriously and weighed in at 218, four pounds lighter than he was for the first fight.

In the rematch Tyson came out strong and looked to get Holyfield out in the first two rounds. Mike knew just as Evander did that he is the most dangerous in the first two rounds and after that slowly winds down as his work-rate and effectiveness begin to erode. During the first two rounds Tyson emptied the wagon on Holyfield trying to put him away. Only there was a problem, not only was Holyfield standing up to Mike's best, he was fighting him back harder and winning the rounds. After Holyfield made it through and won the first two rounds, Tyson knew inside it was just a matter of time before he was stopped by Holyfield again, which no doubt caused him to panic. It wasn't like Tyson was gonna get stronger and fight better as the fight progressed a la Marciano or Frazier. And if he didn't have the punch to keep Holyfield off while he's the most dangerous, how could he have kept Holyfield from coming at him and nailing him with hard right hands from outside while at the same time tying up his left-hook on the inside? He couldn't.

And once Mike knew there was no way he could pull the fight out against a tough and determined fighter like Holyfield, who also knew how to fight him, he wanted out of the fight. When the bell rang to start the third round Mike knew that it was going to be the last round of the fight. The only way to go about that was to get disqualified but at the same time maintain his persona as a tough guy. Being that he was so frustrated because he couldn't beat Holyfield straight up in a fair fight, he wanted to somehow hurt Evander physically and get out of the fight without getting stopped by him again. Tyson also knew some would view him as being a tough guy for biting Holyfield and acting as if it were a street fight instead of the form of quitting that it really was. After Tyson was warned he would be disqualified and having a point deducted by referee Mills Lane in the third round for biting Holyfield's ear, Tyson bit Evander's other ear the very next time they were in a clinch. The fight was briefly stopped after that and once Lane saw Holyfield's ear bleeding from the second bite he DQ'd Tyson, thus ending the fight.

When Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield's ears twice during the third round of their rematch, Mike was in essence quitting and saying to Holyfield 'I know I can't beat you and you don't have to knock me out this time to beat me.' It wasn't a spur of the moment act on Tyson's part. No, it was thought out and calculated…and despite being suspended for a year by the Nevada commission, it fooled many boxing fans into thinking it was an act of toughness and a manly way of taking down a fighter who was beating you straight up and not because he was head-butting him. When Tyson told Oprah he bit Holyfield because he was pissed off because he was such a great fighter, he couldn't have been more honest. Due to Tyson's presence and intimidation factor he brought into the ring when he fought, he wasn't tested often by many fighters. When it finally happened and he was confronted by a fighter who could take his punch and had no fear of him, he came undone. Tyson admitting the truth has set him free in that it's easier for him to look himself in the mirror now. Forget about what others say and think, nothing is harder than attempting to lie and con yourself for years.

During the Winfrey interview Mike came across completely honest. If he was willing to admit the truth as to why he bit Holyfield's ears twice, it's pretty easy to believe everything else he said during the sitdown. As a fighter Mike Tyson is one of the top-5 skilled heavyweights in boxing history. Had he possessed the character and courage of a Holyfield, Frazier or Arturo Gatti, he'd probably rank somewhere between fourth and seventh of all-time great heavyweights, but boxing is more than hand-speed and punching power. Therefore Tyson ranks somewhere around tenth and twelfth. Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com Evander Holyfield sympathizes with ear-biting victim Alex Guerrero - LA Times Evander Holyfield sympathizes with ear-biting victim Alex Guerrero Evander Holyfield Evan Agostini / Associated Press Retired heavyweight boxer Evander Holyfield displays a little less ear than he was born with. Holyfield, who had part of his ear bitten off by Mike Tyson in 1997, sympathizes with Dodgers infielder Alex Guerrero, who recently had a larger part of his ear bitten off by a teammate.

Retired heavyweight boxer Evander Holyfield displays a little less ear than he was born with. Holyfield, who had part of his ear bitten off by Mike Tyson in 1997, sympathizes with Dodgers infielder Alex Guerrero, who recently had a larger part of his ear bitten off by a teammate. (Evan Agostini / Associated Press) Dylan Hernandez Contact Reporter Evander Holyfield sympathizes with Alex Guerrero after part of his ear bitten off like the former heavyweight In a recently aired commercial for Foot Locker , Mike Tyson apologizes to Evander Holyfield and hands him back the piece of his ear that he bit off. “Maybe they can have Part 2,” Holyfield joked. Long before a part of Alex Guerrero’s ear was bitten off by triple-A teammate Miguel Olivo , Holyfield was the victim of a similar bite from Tyson in their infamous 1997 heavyweight championship boxing match. Speaking by phone from his hometown of Altanta, the 51-year-old Holyfield sent the Dodgers infielder his best wishes. “Hopefully, he can get over it,” Holyfield said. Holyfield said he was unaware of what had happened to Guerrero until Thursday. “I just heard,” Holyfield said. “That’s kind of sad.

I’m surprised that happened in baseball.” NEW YORK -- In the wake of Miguel Olivo ’s release Thursday, Dodgers President Stan Kasten said the triple-A catcher’s alleged attack on Alex Guerrero was “unimaginable, inconceivable and, frankly, unforgivable.”In an in-game altercation Tuesday between the Albuquerque teammates, Olivo bit off the... NEW YORK -- In the wake of Miguel Olivo ’s release Thursday, Dodgers President Stan Kasten said the triple-A catcher’s alleged attack on Alex Guerrero was “unimaginable, inconceivable and, frankly, unforgivable.”In an in-game altercation Tuesday between the Albuquerque teammates, Olivo bit off the... (Dylan Hernandez) Holyfield was sympathetic. “All your nerves are in your ears,” he said. “It’s kind of shocking when you get bit in the ear. It ain’t a good thing. Getting bit just ain’t right.” Holyfield lost a considerably smaller piece of his ear than Guerrero did. He said he received two stitches and was able to resume training almost immediately. “I was ready right after,” said Holyfield, who is still missing a piece of his ear. Guerrero had most of the upper part of his ear bitten off.

The piece had to be reattached through plastic surgery. “Oh, shoot,” Holyfield said. “That’s a little more difficult. It’s a slight difference.” Less than five months after Holyfield was disfigured by Tyson, he unified the heavyweight championship by stopping Michael Moorer in eight rounds. “I dealt with it,” Holyfield said. “When your mind is in the right place, things both good and bad become old.” When Guerrero reaches the major leagues, he will probably receive significant media attention. That could also be an obstacle. “Anything that can be an embarrassment, it’s a part of fear,” Holyfield said. “It’s difficult to move on.” Holyfield said he used his sense of humor to deal with the additional exposure. “The key is being able to laugh about stuff,” he said.

Bite-size memories of Mike Tyson by the writer whose words packed a punch | Sport | The Guardian Mike Tyson Bite-size memories of Mike Tyson by the writer whose words packed a punch In Scream: The Tyson Tapes, the late Jonathan Rendall presents an oral history of the fighter’s life that chronicles the rise and fall of one of sport’s most controversial figures Mike Tyson bites Evander Holyfield's ear during their world heavyweight title fight at the MGN Grand in 1997. Photograph: Nick Potts/Action Images Jonathan Rendall Tuesday 30 September 2014 11.10 EDT Last modified on Monday 4 April 2016 10.34 EDT Share on Messenger Close The acclaimed sportswriter Jonathan Rendall , author of This Bloody Mary is the Last Thing I Own and Twelve Grand, died in January 2013 aged 48. He left behind the manuscript for Scream: The Tyson Tapes , an oral history of the career of Mike Tyson, which has now been edited by the former Guardian chief sports writer Richard Williams and is published this week.

The edited extract below deals with the period spanning Tyson’s last major fights; the two defeats to Evander Holyfield in 1996 and 1997, and the heavy loss to Lennox Lewis in 2002. 9 November 1996 Lost TKO R11 v Evander Holyfield, Las Vegas, loses titles 28 June 1997 Lost DQ R3 v Evander Holyfield, Las Vegas Holyfield, very much the underdog, shows no sign of being intimidated despite his smaller build and Tyson’s reputation, and hands Tyson a beating for much of the fight. However, such is the money generated that a quick rematch is arranged. This time, what occurs is sensational. Tyson, again behind, bites Holyfield on both ears, forcing the referee, Mills Lane, to call a halt. A riot ensues at the MGM Grand casino. JR Kevin Rooney [Tyson’s professional trainer] If the referee hadn’t stopped it in the first Holyfield fight, Mike would’ve been knocked cold. Mike was all staggering and the referee jumped in. Then they had the rematch and he got in better shape.

Teddy Atlas [Tyson’s amateur trainer] With Holyfield, he [Tyson] became a game quitter. He stopped trying to win. And the second time against Holyfield he knew he would actually have to be a fighter. And I said beforehand, two nights before the fight – I said he was going to have to foul to get out of the fight. I was sitting here trying to figure it out and then, bingo! He’s setting his alibi up. He could head-butt, hit low or bite. I watched the fight at a party at the house of Jack Newfield [the late investigative journalist]. Tyson goes out and throws a bomb, a desperation punch. Holyfield is having none of the silent agreement. Then he bit him! I was so frustrated, because I only had my wife with me when I said it. So you see Tyson was a fractured, scared, incomplete person who could not face a man. He would not have entered that room against Holyfield again if he didn’t know where the door was. He was planning it two days before. That’s what made me realise. But what people didn’t realise was how dirty Holyfield was with his head.

Obviously, a fight is a fight, when it comes down to it, it’s not just ‘sport’, it’s different, but there are still limits, A head is harder even than a punch. And Holyfield used it all the time. Every time they went into a clinch. The referee did nothing. But, yeah, he lost his own head completely. What he did was … indescribable. But Holyfield making out he was this man of Christ and then coming in with these persistently illegal tactics – it was too much, man. You can only take so much. And Holyfield cut him as well, and maybe he was just off-form anyway. Maybe he shouldn’t be doing it any more. But he didn’t have the money he thought he had, and probably he’d spent far too much. Far too much. So maybe he should go abroad and get some easy paydays. Like Jack Johnson did. Yeah, like Johnson. And there was always [Lennox] Lewis. That would be a big pot of gold. Real big. And Jesus, he needed it.

Nadia Hujtyn [Tyson gym-mate and trainer for his mentor, Cus D’Amato] He wasn’t smart with any of it [the money]. And there were ex-wives, and children – the first one’s name was D’Amato. And he’s got to pay for all these children. I wouldn’t know if he stays in touch with them. He used to make comments that he ought to do better things because he’s got these children, but it doesn’t last longer than saying it, unfortunately. Rooney He’s trying to make out he’s a family man and I’m sure he does love his kids but he ain’t no family man. He likes fooling around with girls. Steve Lott [Tyson’s cornerman and press agent] And when the therapists examined him, he just said he was a bad kid and always had been. And when they said, ‘Well, we want to find out why that is,’ Mike didn’t have the balls to tell them the truth – that he’d been a hero, and been happy. None of them called me. None of them tried to find out what Mike was like with us.

They called him in and said, ‘Tell us about yourself.’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m a bad kid from Brooklyn. I’ve been in reform schools all my life.’ So the therapists say, ‘Mike, let’s address that.’ You see, Mike couldn’t tell the doctors the truth. He couldn’t say, ‘Listen, I’m a very sad kid. Why? Because I was a hero and I had all these wonderful people around me. And then along came Don King [Tyson’s promoter] and Robin Givens [Tyson’s former wife] and I fell for their acts.

I loved Cus but then I fell for their scams.’ 16 January 1999 Won KO R5 v Francois Botha, Las Vegas 23 October 1999 NC R1 v Orlin Norris, Las Vegas 29 January 2000 Won TKO R2 v Julius Francis, Manchester 24 June 2000 Won TKO R1 v Lou Savarese, Glasgow 20 October 2000 NC R3 vs Andrew Golota, Michigan 13 October 2001 Won RTD R6 v Brian Nielsen, Copenhagen So, yeah, he’d gone on the road, to Europe. And it was cool. It was respite. He fought this guy in England, Francis. He was totally out of his depth. They never really should have put him in there. And Francis knew it. But funnily enough he seemed like a nice guy, and he was game as well. Mike was amazed that he came out for the second. And then he went to Glasgow, Lou Savarese, the Great White Hope. Except he knew he couldn’t fight as well.

Savarese’s whole career was a Primo Carnera act. But you get the winning record and then ultimately you get the money. You’ve got to lose to get it, and take a beating, depending on how game you are, but as long as you don’t get too badly hurt, or get a blood clot on the brain or something, you still get the money, and then you’re set. But he did slightly lose the plot against Savarese. He didn’t like him. And he was going in to finish it in the first and then the referee stepped in when he wasn’t expecting it, ’cause he really wanted to do damage to Savarese, and he got tangled up with the referee, maybe even glanced him with a blow by mistake, and possibly he was lucky not to get disqualified. But he liked Britain. They really loved him there. It was so different from the States. He went to Brixton, the black area, and they literally had to stop the traffic. And the British cops – the cops! – took him in the police station, and there was this huge crowd down below, and he was on this balcony and he had to address them through this megaphone.

It was just surreal. And then he went to Denmark to fight Nielsen, another white who couldn’t really fight, but who had this winning record. Something like 60 and 2. And they really loved him there as well. Nielsen was game, even though he couldn’t fight and had this built-up record. You’ve got to give it to the promoters to make that effort to prepare these guys for the payday. Years, it must take. But it took him longer to finish Nielsen – the sixth – because maybe he wasn’t quite in shape, but how do you get motivated to get in shape for these guys? But for Lewis, he would get in shape. Definitely. JR Frank (now Kellie) Maloney [Manager of Lennox Lewis and Julius Francis] They didn’t even have Francis on the posters. Tyson could’ve been fighting Mickey Mouse and it would still have sold out. He’d just fought Botha. We sold the fight on the pretence that Julius had a chance of beating Tyson. Even on Tyson’s worst night, he beats Julius.

One night I’m sitting with Julius’s trainer, who was then Mark Roe, and I hear him say, ‘And when we beat Tyson …’ And I said, ‘Mark, you really think Julius has a chance of beating Tyson?’ And he goes, ‘Well, you do, Frank, the things you’ve been saying.’ So I said, ‘Mark, it’s my job to hype the fight.’ But Julius got a great payday. I saw it as a payday for a man who had served boxing well. When we get to the weigh-in Tyson is sitting there twirling his hair between his finger and thumb like a lost little girl. He wasn’t paying any attention. He was very friendly in the build-up to the fight. And Julius was in awe of him. I could not believe it when Julius went up to him and said, ‘Excuse me, Mike, can I have your autograph, please?’ This was at the press conference. I mean, I didn’t say anything because this was a big day for Julius. But I could not believe it. He was totally in awe of Tyson, and I knew then that we had absolutely no chance of winning this fight, even though I knew that already.

8 June 2002 Lost KO R8 v Lennox Lewis, Memphis, competing for Lewis’s WBC and IBF titles The Lewis fight is dogged by controversy. At a pre-fight press conference Lewis throws a punch and in the melee that follows Tyson bites Lewis’s leg. Tyson is called before the Nevada Athletic Commission to prove his mental fitness to continue boxing. In the fight itself Tyson receives a bad beating and is finally knocked out by a Lewis right hand. Lewis was just too big. And he could fight. Man, he was a big motherfucker, The best big fucker he’d fought. Fast and accurate and just as awkward as he’d thought, except more so. And just too big. He’d told the corner that early on: ‘He’s just too big.’ Jesus, where was Cus? Lewis would always have been awkward and big but in the old days he would have knocked him out, surely. And Lewis’s fists were like rocks. He wasn’t remotely intimidated, although he could tell Lewis was nervous in the first, and he had a short chance then. But somehow he knew Lewis would regroup himself mentally as soon as the second. He was pretty tough mentally after that.

Damn, he couldn’t intimidate him. But he’d known that at the press conference. And Lewis caught him with this humongous right hand at the end, and he hoped he hadn’t got brain damage. But he had been game. He knew from the second that Lewis was going to knock him out. The funny thing was, he felt like hugging Lewis in there, and saying, ‘Listen, man, let’s just chill out instead of fighting each other.’ But when all the shit was said and done, he took his beating like a man. JR Rooney The Tyson I had would have beat Douglas, Holyfield, Lewis. He would’ve beat all of them. Tyson’s losses are when he’s in never-never land. I think he would have beaten Muhammad Ali in his prime. That would have been a hell of a fight. I believe he would have knocked out Jack Dempsey. I believe he would have knocked out Rocky Marciano. In my opinion he just laid down against Lewis. Maloney Before the fight I wanted Lennox to get beat because of the bitchiness in me after the fallout with the new Lewis team. That fight would have been my pension. I didn’t make any money at all out of that fight.

And I was sitting there looking at Tyson getting ready in his dressing room on the TV monitor and the crazy antics – smashing the wall, like a mad raging bull again, and then I looked at Lewis getting ready, and I went, ‘You know what? I would put my house on Lennox Lewis winning this fight.’ On This Day: Mike Tyson bit a chunk out of Evander Holyfield's ear - Boxing News Boxing News June 28, 2016 BN Staff On This Day: Mike Tyson bit a chunk out of Evander Holyfield’s ear Bob Mee, ringside, watched a heavyweight title rematch descend into absolute chaos as Mike Tyson resorted to savage foul play On This Day: Mike Tyson bit a chunk out of Evander Holyfield’s ear Bob Mee, ringside, watched a heavyweight title rematch descend into absolute chaos as Mike Tyson resorted to savage foul play Action Images/Nick Potts Don’t miss any action. Sign up for the free BN newsletter(s) here MIKE TYSON doesn’t have the stomach for boxing any more. The fighter who once labelled himself the baddest man on the planet should have no further part to play in the business which gave him so much.

Tyson’s disgusting performance in the MGM Grand Garden on June 28, 1997 will earn him at most a $3m fine from the Nevada State Athletic Comission. That’s chump change for a man who has grossed around $105m in less than two years. He may also face a substantial suspension, although his profuse and apparently sincere apology on Monday – his 31st birthday – may have spared him a life ban. Whatever his eventual penalty, the real price Tyson has paid is in credibility, not simply now in the anger of the moment, but for however long boxing survives and is remembered. There have been disqualifications before, but no offence has been as vicious, as thuggish, as cowardly as this. For those who have been on Planet Zog all week, Tyson was thrown out of his WBA heavyweight title challenge against Evander Holyfield at the end of round three, for biting Holyfield on both ears. Referee Mills Lane, who stepped in when Mitch Halpern withdrew following a protest from the Tyson camp, seemed to be viewed in America as having taken some kind of firm stand. In fact, he was incredibly lenient.

When Tyson chewed a piece out of Holyfield’s right ear and spat it out with about a minute left in round three, the champion bounded up and down in agony, frustration and outrage. With the ear horribly disfigured and pouring blood, Lane somehow decided to let the fight go on. After a break of around four minutes, he tried to keep a lid on the situation by deducting two points from Tyson, one for the bite and one for shoving Holyfield in the back after the champion had turned away. Even when Tyson deliberately bit Holyfield’s left ear in the next available clinch, Lane allowed the round to end, then ruled the fight over. “Disqualification is the biggest penalty in boxing, and I thought it over,” said the vastly experienced referee, whose main living is made as a judge in Reno. “I did what was right. You play the hand you’ve got and you do the best with the card. One bite, maybe. It’s bad enough, but two bites – that’s the end of the search. “I told him ‘One more time and you’re out’. You’ve got to take a position, some time, somewhere, and that’s it.” Frankly, it wasn’t good enough.

What if Holyfield, having gone on, had lost concentration and been knocked out? Where would the whole of boxing have stood then? By disqualifying Tyson, Lane at least put the blame where it should lie. But if Tyson had won, effectively by using these tactics, then boxing may not have survived the scandal. Rules are there to be enforced. He of all people should know the importance of that, even in the white heat of a Tyson-Holyfield rematch. Surely, in the light of this, administrators will persuade referees to take a firmer grip. Holyfield was ferried to the Valley Hospital in Las Vegas to have the piece of ear stitched on. He is said to need plastic surgery following an unsuccessful operation. Paramedics said the missing chunk was about half an inch wide. “I was beating him anyway,” said the 34-year-old champion, who also accused  Tyson of attempting to break his arm. “I just praise the Lord it’s not worse. I felt my ear had fallen off. “It’s an easy way to get out of the fight. You get yourself disqualified.” Later, Holyfield’s head trainer Don Turner was asked if he had seen anything like it before.

He paused and then said: “In Harlem.” And co-trainer Tommy Brooks was almost as disgusted by Tyson’s raging-bull antics after the fight was over when he tried to attack Holyfield through a melee of ring officials and policemen, saying: “I had a lot of respect for Mike Tyson before this. No more. I can’t believe what I saw. “He had Evander in the ring, one-on-one, man-to-man, and he didn’t do anything. Then, when all those people were in there, then he wants him? Come on. That’s nothing but bully stuff. “Things like that happen in the street, but they have no place here. It’s just disgusting. Completely disgusting.” Tyson and his camp made much of the second-round clash of heads which left him with an ugly two-inch gash over the right eye. He claimed Lane’s view of the head clash as accidental, and therefore his decision not to deduct a point from Holyfield, had forced him to dispense with the rules. This was one of the lamest, most pathetic excuses I have heard from any so-called sportsman, anywhere, at any time.

And it served only to reflect and reinforce the siege mentality which has emanated from Tyson and his camp since his release from jail in 1995. Tyson’s apparent rage when he realised he had been thrown out was ridiculous. The man knew what he was doing. In the old days fighters got themselves disqualified by hitting low, but the supposedly more civilized and sophisticated rules our sanctioning bodies have foisted upon us now force men who are punched in the genitals to box on. Deliberate head butts get point deductions, if referees notice them. And so Tyson chose this way out. And even then he had to do it twice. Some have also pointed out that his attempt to leave his corner for round three without his gumshield was further evidence of his intention. Maybe, maybe not. It may have been a coincidence. But whether or not he was wearing a mouthpiece, he bit. End of story. Of course he had to make a show. He is alleged to have shoved a security guard during the in-ring melee, and was then pelted with debris and spat on as he left the arena.

Some have speculated that he may face criminal prosecution because of the violence and illegality of his assault on Holyfield, his mild attack on the officer, and possibly even an incitement to riot charge, in view of the mayhem that occurred in the MGM hotel and casino afterwards. I make no secret of the fact that I fled through an emergency exit, along with Glenn McCrory and Ian Darke, as people stampeded, claiming guns were being fired. More than 20 people were said to have been hurt, although police said later they found no evidence of gunshots. MGM security staff said there were fights in the building which spilled outside and into other casinos. Eventually, when Tyson emerged from his dressing room, he attempted some kind of justification. “He butted me in the first round and the second round. No one warned him. What can I do? This is my career. I got children to raise. I have to retaliate. “Listen, Holyfield’s not the warrior everyone says he is. He’s not rough. I’m ready to fight.

He didn’t want to fight.” When pressed further by the excellent Jim Gray of Showtime TV, Tyson simply could not, or would not, see that he had just acted in a manner way beyond any laws laid down by anybody since John Broughton first attempted to instil some discipline on the sport more than 250 years ago. “I addressed it in the ring,” he said, bleakly treading deeper into the mire. “I have got to go home, and my kids have got to be scared of me. Look at me! Look at me!” This bizarre outburst from a man who had been considered, at one point in his amazing career, with the best heavyweights in history would not have washed with any four-round trier on the club circuit. Fighters, whatever their status, understand that cut eyes caused by clashes of heads, even those which are deliberate, are a hazard of the trade. As the current cliché goes, they come with the territory. Fighters get cut. End of story. They don’t bleat about what their families will say when they get home. Predictably, nauseously, Tyson’s co-manager John Horne tried to justify his employer’s act.

He’s not worth quoting, but he served to reinforce the long-held impression that Tyson is surrounded by people whose perspective is wrong-headed. Promoter Don King appeared shocked and chastened. King has many critics in this often murky business, but this time I felt some measure of sympathy for him. This is a bizarre, unclean business, but King does work hard for his money, and Tyson’s act, so far beyond anybody’s control, had just dug a huge hole in the profits, not only this show, but the general marketability of boxing. King’s business is too strong to be ruined completely by the misdemeanours of a single fighter. But for Tyson, what does the future hold? When he went home and closed the door on his business associates, maybe even those select, sycophantic few who purport to be his friends, on his new wife, and his dearly-loved children, what kind of man did he see in the mirror? Was it the child, the innocent son of a drunken mother and absent pimp of a father? A boy who craved love, and who may have been so different if he had received it? Was it the street-thug old before his time?

Was it the teenager who found himself under the visionary, desperately obsessed charge of an elderly trainer bent on one last champion? Was it the man who descended into a personal hell with the death of Cus D’Amato and Jimmy Jacobs and the unfathomable chaos of his marriage to Robin Givens, followed by defeat by Buster Douglas? Was it the man who was dehumanized in an Indiana jail cell, where he languished for the rape of Desiree Washington? Was it even the great young fighter who destroyed a generation of heavyweights in the second half of the 1980s? Or was it the disgraced coward? Did he stare at himself and see a fighter who abused his privileged right, who twisted and corrupted the only professional activity which had given him relief from the torment of being alive? And what will he do now, assuming the Nevada Commission do not eventually ban him for life, and assuming that the authorities do not lock him up? Whatever his managers say to the contrary, Tyson wants no more part of Holyfield. He may genuinely want to box again, but against whom? At what level?

If he hated the media for the portrayal of him in the past, what he is likely to experience now is the open contempt of his public. If they turn out to see him now, it will be in the hope that he takes a hiding. And such is the perversity of his mind that he may wish to punish himself by taking one. Frankly, I don’t know whether this undignified, insecure man will be able to cope, inside or outside boxing. As for Holyfield, his place among the heavyweight greats is secure. For the week leading up to the fight he was almost serenely relaxed. He used his role to promote his faith, working out every day in the media tent and answering with craft and courtesy any questions put to him, and never losing an opportunity to bear witness to his religion. At one point he launched a ‘Holyfield Warrior’ youth initiative scheme with a Gospel-style, all-singing, all-dancing ceremony which, to put it mildly, left the gathered hacks of the world somewhat startled. And plainly, throughout the week, he knew he was the man in superior psychological as well as physical shape. At the final Press conference, Tyson, who for years has traded on intimidation, averted his gaze.

At the weigh-in, it happened again. And in the stare-down during Lane’s instructions in the ring, Tyson blinked and looked down. It looked for all the world as if the 11th round battering he had taken last November had destroyed his self-belief. As he walked restlessly around the ring, before the start, it was not the fearsome prowl of old. He looked a dull-skinned, ageing athlete. Meanwhile, before his walk to the ring, Holyfield sang hymns of joy and celebration of the spirit in his dressing room. Holyfield had come in at 15st 8lbs, heavier than ever, while Tyson had slimmed down four pounds to scale exactly the same. But the contrast between them could not have been greater. Whereas Tyson’s pre-fight analysis had been stubbornly unintelligent – “I just want to fight, that’s all, I’m in great shape” – Holyfield knew the score. “He might be faster than me, he might hit harder than me. But I can take his. He can’t take mine.” Don Turner had predicted: “Tyson’s character will let him down.

He used to move his head, but when he’s moving his head, he can’t punch. Eight inches of movement, and he’s got to start all over again. And he don’t have the patience for that. It’s character.” Holyfield came straight out and jabbed Tyson off balance. Tyson, perhaps trying to remember what Richie Giachetti had tried to help him do, attempted to work his own jab, and then threw a left hook, but Holyfield ducked it. Inside the first minute, Lane warned them both for rough stuff in the clinches. Tyson missed with right hands, and looked sluggish, almost worried. Holyfield made him miss, and twice landed countering right hands over the top. Tyson found himself being shoved back, and had to launch attacks off the back foot. Holyfield seemed to shake his composure further with a left hook to the body and left hook to the chin, and although Tyson did connect with a straight right to the head, the crowd rose to the champion with rolling chants of “Holyfield, Holyfield …” The champion’s dominance continued in the second. Tyson did try to jab, did attempt to feint, but was out of range.

He used his shoulder, and then suddenly complained bitterly when they cracked heads inside. He dabbed at his eye, but Lane ruled it an accidental clash. Holyfield leaned on Tyson and bulled him around. Tyson landed occasionally with left hooks, but Holyfield countered and physically imposed himself by gripping his shoulders with both gloves and marching him backwards. He also landed a jab and left hook, then shoved him off again. Again, Lane told them to tidy up. As the bell ended, Holyfield was in control, and as they pushed the swab into Tyson’s cut, he yelled in pain. Slow out for the third, and sent back to have his mouthpiece put in, Tyson responded with a fast, venomous start. In short spurts he can still fight as well as any man in the world, and Holyfield had to tuck up and concede ground. He kept his chin down, countered and thought things out, and gradually Tyson’s storm began to subside. Tyson landed a left hook, and then used the forearm inside. He tugged on Holyfield’s arm in another clinch, and it became fiercely physical.

But then Holyfield began to open up again, and he let go a four-punch combination that showed Tyson what kind of man stood in front of him. Tyson blasted in a right hand and left hook, as well as a solid jab, but again they had little impact … and then came the bulldozing attack and clinch, which resulted in the first, more appalling bite. The fight was effectively over in spite of the four-minute delay, the two-point deduction, the second bite and the bell to end the round. Tyson had opted out of the fight, and it was simply a question of when referee Lane would accept the fact. Already the reaction was inevitable. The lines were forming in the minds of a thousand headline writers: Iron Mike had turned into aluminium, the Fight of the Century had become the Bite of the Century, the Real Deal had become the Real Meal. Boxing was on the front pages again … and once again it was for the wrong reasons. Eleven years ago, Mike Tyson did boxing’s image enormous damage with his juvenile comment about trying to drive the tip of Jesse Ferguson’s nose into the base of his brain. Now he might have dealt it an even more savage, and entirely unjust, blow.

The old game’s reeling again. And it has never seemed less like a game.

Question: Whose ear did Mike Tyson bite?
Answer: Evander Holyfield