Mike Tyson has been a part of a number of legendary fights. There was his victory over Trevor Berbick at 20 years old to win the heavyweight title. There was his Round 4 knockout of Larry Holmes to avenge Muhammed Ali.
However, there may be no fight more infamous than his second matchup against Evander Holyfield.
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Tyson and Holyfield will forever be tied together in boxing history after “Iron Mike” bit the ear of “The Real Deal.” Tyson entered the bout aiming to avenge his loss to Holyfield in their first go-round, but the fight ended controversially after part of Holyfield’s ear was bitten off.
Here’s more to know about Tyson’s bite of Holyfield’s ear.
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Who did Mike Tyson bite in a fight?
It was Evander Holyfield that Tyson bit during a boxing match in 1997.
After Holyfield won via TKO in Round 11 of the pair’s first fight in 1996, Tyson and Holyfield had a rematch in June of the following year. During the third round of the fight, Tyron rolled his head out a clinch from Holyfield. While moving, he bit down on the ear of his opponent.
Holyfield clearly felt the bite, as he leapt up and down in pain. Referee Mills Lane discussed the situation with Nevada athletic commissioner Marc Ratner, and elected to let the fight continue , but deducted two points from Tyson.
With the fight back in action, the two got into a clinch again, and for the second time, Tyson bit Holyfield’s ear. Lane failed to notice it and did not stop the match. The round continued until the clock ran out, and once the referee saw the second bite, the match was stopped and Tyson was disqualified.
Holyfield remained WBA heavyweight champion with the disqualification victory.
As a result of the incident, Tyson’s boxing license was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He also was fined $3 million plus legal fees due to the bite.
Tyson’s license was reinstated on Oct. 18, 1998.
Despite the way the fight ended, Tyson and Holyfield became friends later in life once both retired from the ring. The two have discussed the incident on multiple occasions since, including the infamous 2009 interview with Oprah Winfrey where Tyson apologized.
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