Mike Tyson bit a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear off 20 years ago today: We take a look back at the shocking fight that rocked the sporting world
The Baddest Man On The Planet lived up to his nickname with the sickening attack that left part of Holyfield's ear on the canvas
MIKE TYSON savaged Evander Holyfield’s ear 20 years ago today in one of the most shocking scenes boxing – and all of sport – has ever seen.
The Baddest Man On The Planet lived up to his nickname with sickening and repeated attacks on the Real Deal’s vulnerable lugholes.
On June 28, 1997 – during a fight billed as The Sound and the Fury – the sight of enamel ripping through flesh sickened fight fans and left the sport at rock bottom.
Iron Mike Tyson was no stranger to crime and controversy by the time he stunned even the most brutal and bloody sport – long before MMA was an athletic pursuit.
Aged just 13, a desperately poor youth facing a bleak future, he had notched up 38 arrests and was a willing student in the dark arts of burglary and street robbery.
But his most heinous transgressions were to come when he was at his most rich and powerful.
On June 27, 1988 he became the undisputed lineal heavyweight champion of the world after crushing Michael Spinks in one monstrous round.
But by March 1992 he had not only lost every belt to Buster Douglas in one of sport's biggest upsets, he had also been sentenced to six years in prison for raping 18-year-old Desiree Washington.
Tyson returned to boxing in 1995 and need just two warm-up fights before taking the WBC title back off England’s Frank Bruno but he faced the first real test of his comeback on November 9, 1996.
Evander Holyfield had studied Tyson religiously but was almost flattened from the shorter man’s very first punch.
Holyfield saw the WBA champion dip to his left and expected a trademark left-hook from Tyson’s offensive textbook but the Brownsville bomber stunned him a right-cross.
That moment of genius was to be Tyson’s first and only moment of dominance. Holyfield used his superior height, strength and reach to frustrate and pummel his rival.
The illegal use of his head even opened up a raw gash on the convict that he was never to forget.
With 15 seconds of the seventh round remaining, Holyfield lunged forward and the pair cracked skulls once again with Tyson howling out in pain as he once again suffered at the head of the in-ring bully.
Holyfield tied-up, pushed around and prodded at Tyson until a barrage in the final seconds of the 10th round left him spark out on his feet but somehow upright.
But it took just seconds on the 11th for the referee to save Tyson from demolition.
The fallen hero had seven months to sit and stew on that result and performance, while abusing his mind and body with far more vigour than he was spending in the gym.
The roughhouse tactics Holyfield employed to disarm and embarrass the once impervious world champion were replayed on TV screens everywhere. Tyson could never face that shame again.
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But the rematch was – until the cannibalistic farce broke out – almost a carbon copy of the original.
Holyfield clinched and grabbed, butted and pushed, goading Tyson’s attacks in before countering them viciously like a bullfighter haunting a wild beast.
In round two another clash of heads tore open Tyson’s skin around his right eye as a suffocating sense of déjà vu riddled the impotent war machine.
The sight of his own blood trickling down his right cheek sparked a taste for Holyfield’s and he tried to walk out from his corner – after screaming to his team “he head-butted me” – without his gumshield.
The referee spotted the missing mouthguard and demanded Tyson install it and that seemed to spark a resurgence in the wounded animal who launched into one final legal assault.
But, with 40 seconds of the third round remaining, after another punch combination failed to fall the Alabama titan, Tyson’s face – while snuggled tight into Holyfield’s shoulder for another clinch - suddenly contorted into a twisted snarl.
Tyson had bitten into Holyfield’s ear for the first time. The stunned fighter leapt up in the air in almost cartoon fashion while Tyson stared on unperturbed, almost admiring his savagery before pushing the screaming fighter.
Blood gushed from Holyfield’s right ear as the camera caught unflinching Tyson perversely licking his lips and prowling the ring, hoping for a second bite at the cherry.
Referee Mills Lane took the wrong road by allowing the fight to continue and docking a clearly unhinged Tyson a mere two points.
The incredible life of Mike Tyson
- Mike Tyson was born in New York on June 30, 1966 into an instantly confused family.
- The fighter’s biological father was Purcell Tyson but he was led to believe one of his mother’s later partners, Jimmy Kirkpatrick was his dad.
- Aged 13 Tyson already had 38 arrests for petty crimes and was regularly fighting due to being targeted for his high-pitch voice and lisp.
- At 16 Tyson’s mother died and he was left in legal care of legendary boxing trainer Cus D’Amato.
- Tyson won gold medals at the 1981 and 1982 Junior Olympic Games and holds the Junior Olympic record for the fastest quickest knockout at eight seconds.
- On November 22, 1986 - aged 20 years and 4 months - he became the youngest heavyweight champion in history when he beat Trevor Berbick. And by June 1988 he was undisputed lineal king after destroying Michael Spinks in just 91 seconds.
- Without the now deceased D’Amato, Tyson’s personal and professional lives collapsed and – after losing one of sport’s biggest upsets to Buster Douglas in February 1990 - he was sentence to six years in prison for rape.
- Upon his release Tyson was the planet’s most divisive characters but he tore through the division before his infamous defeats to Evander Holyfield that sparked the end of his career.
- In 2002 Tyson fought Lennox Lewis for all of the Brit’s world titles – two years after vowing to take his heart and eat his children. A brawl broke out at the pre-fight press conference and Tyson bit Lewis’ leg before losing a one-sided fight.
- Tyson is believed to have earned and lost around £300m – blowing his fortune on pet tigers and pigeons as well as cars, jewellery, face tattoos and drugs.
- Since his fighting career ended Tyson has been diagnosed as bi-polar, released record-breaking books, starred in films and supported Glasgow Rangers as well as Donald Trump.
Fearless Holyfield marched back into the now lawless battle and was brutalised again with 22 seconds of the ridiculous round remaining.
Lane finally took control and ended the contest but Tyson lost the plot and had to be constrained by dozens of police as he tried to attack Holyfield and his team.
Tyson was fined three million dollars, given community service and banned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for just over a year on appeal.
The amputated chuck of cartilage Holyfield lost was actually picked up by Lane from the floor of the ring and he handed it one of Holyfield's team.
The earpiece was put it in ice and eventually sewn back in place that night but the relationship between Tyson and Holyfield took longer to heal than the eight stitches.
Eventually the deeply religious Holyfield accepted Tyson’s apology and the Hangover star inducted his new-found friend into the Nevada boxing hall of fame in 2014.
The two men have even made light of the incident with money-spinning adverts on the subject. If Holyfield can forgive and forget then we all should.
Ear Ear!