Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II

Last updated

The Sound and the Fury
Holyfield-Tyson II poster.jpg
DateJune 28, 1997
Venue MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada
Title(s) on the line WBA heavyweight title
Tale of the tape
Boxer Flag of the United States.svg Evander Holyfield Flag of the United States.svg Mike Tyson
Nickname "The Real Deal" "Iron"
Hometown Atlanta, Georgia Catskill, New York
Purse $35,000,000 $30,000,000
Pre-fight record 33–3 (24 KO) 45–2 (39 KO)
Age 34 years, 8 months 30 years, 11 months
Height6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (189 cm) 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 218 lb (99 kg) 218 lb (99 kg)
Style Orthodox Orthodox
Recognition WBA
Heavyweight Champion
The Ring pound-for-pound No. 9 ranked fighter
2-division undisputed world champion		 WBA
No. 1 Ranked Heavyweight
Former undisputed heavyweight champion
Result
Holyfield wins via 3rd-round disqualification

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 between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson on June 28, 1997, for the WBA Heavyweight Championship. [1] It achieved notoriety as one of the most bizarre fights in boxing history after Tyson bit off a part of Holyfield's ear. Tyson was disqualified from the match and lost his boxing license, though it was later reinstated.

Contents

The fight took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, 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. [2]

Background

Tyson and Holyfield had 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.[ citation needed ]

When the fight was signed, Halpern was again assigned to be the referee. Tyson's management objected, with the official reason being that they wanted a different referee for the rematch. [3] It was believed, though never confirmed, that the actual reason why Tyson and crew objected to Halpern's assignment was that Holyfield had clashed heads with Tyson several times during the course of the first fight and Halpern ruled them all accidental. The Nevada State Athletic Commission ruled against the Tyson camp, but Halpern willingly withdrew from the fight days before because he felt his presence would be a distraction. [3] The assignment was instead given to the veteran Lane, who had worked six previous fights featuring Tyson and seven featuring Holyfield.

Match

The match began with Holyfield dominating Tyson. Holyfield won the first three rounds. At 2:19 of the first round, an overhand right punch from Holyfield stunned Tyson, but Tyson fought back, immediately pushing Holyfield backwards. At 32 seconds into the second round, Holyfield ducked under a right punch from Tyson. In doing so, he head-butted Tyson, producing a large cut over the latter's right eye (although trainer Ritchie Giachetti believed the injury happened in the first round). Tyson had repeatedly complained about head-butting in the first bout between the two fighters. Upon reviewing replays, referee Mills Lane stated that the headbutts were unintentional and non-punishable. [4]

Excerpt from Showtime Championship Boxing 's broadcast of the fight, showcasing Tyson's (black shorts) first and second bites of Holyfield (black and white shorts), and Lane's (blue top) subsequent response.

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. A one-inch piece of cartilage was torn from the top of Holyfield’s ear, which Tyson spat out onto the ring apron. [5]

Holyfield leapt into the air in pain and spun in a circle, bleeding profusely from the bite wound. Lane stopped the action, but Tyson managed to rush Holyfield from behind and shove him into his corner. Lane separated the men, moved Tyson to a neutral corner, and went back to check on an enraged Holyfield. The fight would be delayed for the next few minutes as Lane decided on what to do.

Lane called Marc Ratner, the chairman of Nevada’s athletic commission, up to the ring apron and informed him that because Tyson had bitten Holyfield’s ear, he was going to disqualify him and end the fight. Meanwhile, ringside physician Flip Homansky was performing his own check on the champion, and Lane decided to defer to him. Once Homansky cleared Holyfield to continue the fight, Lane decided to allow the bout to continue, but not before penalizing Tyson with a two-point deduction for the bite, as per rules regarding any intentional foul causing an injury. 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," Lane retorted. [6]

During another clinch, Tyson bit Holyfield's left ear. Holyfield threw his hands around to escape the clinch and jumped back. Tyson's second bite just scarred Holyfield's ear. At the time of the second bite, Lane did not stop the match, and both combatants continued fighting until time expired. The men walked back to their respective corners, and when the second bite was discovered, the match was halted again. [7]

Post-fight unrest

After the match was stopped, Tyson went on a rampage at Holyfield and his trainer Brooks while they were still in their corner. [8] 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. Lane was interviewed and said that the bites were intentional. He had told Tyson not to bite anymore, and said Tyson asked to be disqualified by disobeying that order. Holyfield left the ring seconds after the interview, which gave the fans and audience the hint that the match 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.[ citation needed ]

Reporters then interviewed Tyson's instructor, who was upset 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."[ citation needed ]

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 later remarked that his bites were in retaliation for the headbutts from Holyfield. [9]

Later, during post-match interviews, Tyson was walking back to his locker room when a fan from the venue 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 Mike Tyson, Holyfield said he already forgave Tyson for biting him. [10]

The commentators for the Sky Sports broadcast of the bout, Ian Darke and Glenn McCrory, noted that no one had been disqualified in a title bout for more than 50 years, correctly estimating that the last disqualification was during a bout between Joe Louis and Buddy Baer in 1941, where Baer was disqualified after his cornermen refused to leave the ring in protest of what they believed was a late hit. They also compared the match to The Long Count Fight and the Phantom Punch incident.

Aftermath

As a result of biting Holyfield on both ears and other behaviour, Tyson's boxing license was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and he was fined $3 million plus legal fees. [11] On appeal, the commission voted 4–1 to reinstate Tyson's license on October 18, 1998. [12]

After both men retired from boxing, they became close friends. [13]

The match generated a total revenue of $180 million (equivalent to $328 million adjusted for inflation), from live gate, pay-per-view, closed-circuit telecasts, foreign television rights, and casino profits. [14]

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 made amends with Holyfield, telling him "it's been a pleasure passing through life, being acquainted with you." Holyfield accepted Tyson's overture and forgave him. [15]

A book titled The Bite Fight was made in 2013 by journalist George Willis, illustrating the lives of Tyson and Holyfield before, during, and after the fight. The fight was also examined from the perspective of both boxers in the 30 for 30 documentary Chasing Tyson.

In 2022, Tyson and Holyfield teamed up to produce edible cannabis sweets in the shape of Holyfield's ear, called "Holy Ears", and created a comedic Christmas advertisement to promote the product. [16]

Undercard

Confirmed bouts: [17]

Broadcasting

CountryBroadcaster
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Sky Sports
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Showtime

The lyrics to the 2013 Beyoncé song "Drunk in Love" mention the fight in a section rapped by Jay-Z: "Beat the box up, like Mike in '97, I bite."

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield</span> American boxer (born 1962)

Evander Holyfield is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed champion at cruiserweight in the late 1980s and at heavyweight in the early 1990s, and is the only boxer in history to win the undisputed championship in two weight classes in the three belt era. Nicknamed "the Real Deal", Holyfield is the only four-time world heavyweight champion, having held the unified WBA, WBC, and IBF titles from 1990 to 1992, the WBA and IBF titles again from 1993 to 1994, the WBA title a third time from 1996 to 1999; the IBF title a third time from 1997 to 1999 and the WBA title for a fourth time from 2000 to 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Golota</span> Polish boxer

Andrzej Jan Gołota, best known as Andrew Golota, is a Polish former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2013. He challenged four times for a heavyweight world title, and as an amateur won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division at the 1988 Olympics. Despite his accomplishments and more than 40 professional wins, Golota is perhaps best known for twice being disqualified against Riddick Bowe for repeated low blows in fights that Golota was winning. On October 4, 1997, he became the first Pole to challenge for a heavyweight boxing crown when he fought WBC champion Lennox Lewis at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. In November 2016, Golota was inducted into the Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mills Lane</span> American boxing referee (1937–2022)

Mills Bee Lane III was an American boxing referee and professional boxer, a two-term Washoe County, Nevada district court judge, and television personality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riddick Bowe</span> American boxer (born 1967)

Riddick Lamont Bowe is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1989 and 2008. He held the undisputed world heavyweight championship in 1992, and won the super heavyweight silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitch Halpern</span> American boxing referee

Mitchell Howard Halpern was an American boxing referee who officiated some of the sport's biggest matches.

As in the 1980s, the 1990s in boxing's popularity focused on all divisions. When 1980s legends Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, as well as others retired, newer superstars filled the void: Pernell Whitaker, Julio César Chávez, in the early 1990s, Oscar De La Hoya, Félix Trinidad, Roy Jones Jr. and Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the mid to late 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield</span> Boxing competition

Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield, billed as Finally, was a professional boxing match fought between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson for the WBA heavyweight championship on November 9, 1996, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The bout was Tyson's first defense of the WBA title that he had won from Bruce Seldon on September 7 of that year.

Showtime Championship Boxing was a television boxing program airing on Showtime. Debuting in March 1986, it is broadcast live on the first Saturday of every month. Showtime Championship Boxing, which is very similar to HBO World Championship Boxing, features Mauro Ranallo on play-by-play, Al Bernstein as the color analyst, Jimmy Lennon as ring announcers, and Jim Gray as reporter.

A disqualification is a term used when a bout is stopped short of knockout or judges' decision because, intentionally, one or both contestants have repeatedly or flagrantly fouled an opponent or violated other rules. The disqualified boxer automatically loses the bout to the opponent. If both are disqualified, the result is usually declared a no contest regardless of round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Tyson vs. Peter McNeeley</span> Boxing competition

Mike Tyson vs. Peter McNeeley, billed as He's Back, was a professional boxing match contested on August 19, 1995. The match marked the return of Mike Tyson to professional boxing after over four years away due to his 1991 arrest and subsequent conviction for rape in 1992 which led to Tyson serving three years in prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buster Douglas vs. Evander Holyfield</span> Boxing competition

Buster Douglas vs. Evander Holyfield, billed as "The Moment of Truth", was a professional boxing match contested on October 25, 1990, for the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight championships. The bout took place at the Mirage in Paradise, Nevada, USA and saw Douglas making the first defense of the titles he won from Mike Tyson in February 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. Michael Moorer II</span> Boxing competition

Evander Holyfield vs. Michael Moorer II was a professional boxing match contested November 8, 1997 for the WBA and IBF heavyweight championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Tyson vs. Francois Botha</span> Boxing competition

Mike Tyson vs. Francois Botha was a professional boxing match on January 16, 1999. Tyson won the match by knocking out Botha in the fifth round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Tyson vs. Andrew Golota</span> Boxing competition

Mike Tyson vs. Andrew Golota, billed as Showdown in Motown, was a professional boxing match contested on October 20, 2000.

Lennox Lewis vs. Henry Akinwande was a professional boxing match contested on July 12, 1997, for the WBC Heavyweight Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lennox Lewis vs. Ray Mercer</span> Boxing competition

Lennox Lewis vs. Ray Mercer, billed as "One Big Night", was a professional boxing match contested on May 10, 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. Vaughn Bean</span> Boxing competition

Evander Holyfield vs. Vaughn Bean, billed as "The Power and the Glory", was a professional boxing match contested on September 19, 1998 for the WBA and IBF heavyweight championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. Carlos De León</span>

Evander Holyfield vs. Carlos De León was a professional boxing match contested for the undisputed cruiserweight championship between WBA, and IBF champion Evander Holyfield and WBC champion Carlos De León. The bout took place on April 9, 1988 at Caesars Palace in Paradise, Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. James Tillis</span> Professional Boxing Match

Evander Holyfield vs. James Tillis was a professional boxing match contested on July 16, 1988. The fight is notable for being Holyfield's first in the heavyweight division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. Hasim Rahman</span>

Evander Holyfield vs. Hasim Rahman, billed as "The Royal Comeback", was a professional boxing match contested on June 1, 2002.

References

  1. ↑ "Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson (2nd meeting)". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  2. ↑ Lane late replacement, center of action [usurped] , AP via Slam! Boxing, 1997-06-29, Retrieved on March 9, 2007.
  3. 1 2 "Halpern is Odd Man Out of the Ring". Los Angeles Times . June 28, 1997.
  4. ↑ Tyson: 'I'd bite again', BBC Sports, 1999-10-04, Retrieved on April 18, 2007.
  5. ↑ Weinberg, Rick (August 5, 2004). "30: Tyson bites Holyfield's ear in rematch". ESPN. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  6. ↑ Brookhouse, Brent (December 25, 2012). "Great moments in heavyweight rematch history: Tyson vs Holyfield II and 'The Bite'". Vox Media Inc. SB Nation. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  7. ↑ Lutz, Tom (October 22, 2013). "Mike Tyson 'wanted to kill' Evander Holyfield". The Guardian. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  8. ↑ Friend, Tom (June 29, 1997). "Tyson Disqualified for Biting Holyfield's Ears". The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Mike Tyson Tells Oprah Why He Bit Evander Holyfield". The Sweet Science. October 13, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Evander Holyfield Reveals How Long It Took for Him to Forgive Mike Tyson". Essentially Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  11. ↑ Tyson banned for life [usurped] , AP via Slam! Boxing, 1997-07-09, Retrieved on March 10, 2007.
  12. ↑ Mike Tyson timeline, ESPN.com , 2002-01-29, Retrieved on March 24, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Mike Tyson to induct Evander Holyfield into new boxing hall of fame". SFGate.com. SFGate. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Tragedy Beckons Tyson The Thug, The Quitter". Orlando Sentinel . July 5, 1997.
  15. ↑ "Mike Tyson Apologizes Video". oprah.com.
  16. ↑ "Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield team up to release ear bite cannabis edibles with funny video". November 20, 2022.
  17. ↑ "BoxRec - event".
Preceded by Evander Holyfield's bouts
28 June 1997		Succeeded by
Mike Tyson's bouts
28 June 1997		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.