Mike Tyson once explained what went through his mind when he infamously bit off the ear of heavyweight boxing rival, Evander Holyfield, during the third round of their second encounter in June 1997. The incident is regarded as one of the most shocking moments in the storied history of boxing, as a fight between two massive icons of the sport has never been decided for such a bizarre reason.
Having lost the WBA heavyweight title via an 11th round stoppage in his first fight against Holyfield in November 1996, Tyson was naturally hyped up and looking for revenge in the rematch a year later. However, after growing increasingly frustrated in the opening three rounds of the contest due to Holyfield starting out the better, ‘Iron Mike’ allowed his emotions to overcome him and the bit landed on his rival’s right ear.
Mike Tyson once explained what went through his mind when he infamously bit off the ear of heavyweight boxing rival, Evander Holyfield, during the third round of their second encounter in June 1997. The incident is regarded as one of the most shocking moments in the storied history of boxing, as a fight between two massive icons of the sport has never been decided for such a bizarre reason.
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Having lost the WBA heavyweight title via an 11th round stoppage in his first fight against Holyfield in November 1996, Tyson was naturally hyped up and looking for revenge in the rematch a year later. However, after growing increasingly frustrated in the opening three rounds of the contest due to Holyfield starting out the better, ‘Iron Mike’ allowed his emotions to overcome him and the bit landed on his rival’s right ear.
Once the second bite was brought to the attention of the referee, Mills Lane, at the conclusion of the third round, Tyson was officially disqualified and Holyfield named the winner. Millions of fans watching around the world couldn’t believe what they had just seen and, once the chaos had died down, most had only one question: Why did Tyson do it?
The New York-born slugger’s former coach, Teddy Atlas, has stated that the incident happened because Tyson was ‘intimidated’ by Holyfield. However, Mike himself has described exactly what he was thinking in the moment – and he paints a different picture.
