Mike Tyson Says He Has ‘Biting Fixation,’ Explains Viral Videos from Jake Paul Fight

Mike Tyson explained why he was repeatedly biting his glove during a unanimous decision loss to Jake Paul on Friday night.

“I have a biting fixation,” Tyson explained after the bout in response to a question from combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani.

The former heavyweight champion referenced his infamous disqualification during a title fight with Evander Holyfield in 1997, biting Holyfield’s ear twice.

Tyson was required to forfeit $3 million of his $30 million purse and also received a ban for 18 months following the incident.

The 58-year-old initially kept up with his 27-year-old opponent through the beginning of the match, although he started to wear down as it continued. Paul landed 21 total punches over the final two rounds compared to Tyson’s four, per CompuBox.

As Tyson would shield his face, he was seen biting the thumb on his left hand multiple times throughout the bout.

Both fighters wore 14-ounce gloves during the match, heavier than the typical 10-ounce gloves worn by most boxers weighing above 135 pounds.

Paul called out the bite on Holyfield’s ear several times leading up to the fight, which included the reveal of diamond ear coverings worth $100,000 each on Wednesday (via TMZ Sports).

“I’m not getting my s–t bit off on Friday night so I got my diamond spiked ear covers right there,” Paul explained.

Tyson stuck to biting his glove, while his overall record fell to 50-7 following his first professional match since 2005.

Meanwhile, Paul improved to 11-1 and has won five consecutive fights since his split decision loss to Tommy Fury in Feb. 2023.