Mike Tyson recently spoke on his podcast and revealed that Evander Holyfield had a meltdown after his infamous ear-biting incident, after Tyson made gummy bears out of it.
I had made these ears. Um, he was a little offended at first. All the tiem he was like ”Why ya doing this to me, man?” He was less offended when he saw the profit of it. ‘Hey, how about you?’
On June 28, we commemorate the 26th anniversary of a truly extraordinary and unforgettable moment in the annals of boxing and sports as a whole: the infamous bite incident involving Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield during their rematch fight.
Tyson’s journey leading up to that eventful day was rife with ups and downs. After suffering a shocking defeat to Buster Douglas on February 11, 1990, in Tokyo, Japan, Tyson’s life took a tumultuous turn. In 1992, he was convicted and sentenced to prison on charges of rape filed by Desiree Washington. Released in 1995, Tyson returned to the boxing ring, only to experience another defeat at the hands of Holyfield on November 9, 1996, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The much-anticipated rematch between Tyson and Holyfield was scheduled for June 28, 1997, in the same venue. This time, however, Tyson harbored an overwhelming desire for revenge, fueled by his seething rage.
Dubbed “The Bite Fight,” the match followed a similar pattern to the first encounter, with Holyfield outclassing a diminished Tyson. Mike’s frustration reached a boiling point, and in an unprecedented turn of events, he resorted to biting Holyfield’s ear during a clinch.
In a fit of desperation, “Iron Mike” sank his teeth into his opponent’s flesh, leaving Holyfield bewildered and in pain. Holyfield promptly voiced his complaint to referee Mills Lane, who inspected the injury and ultimately disqualified Tyson, much to the astonishment of the bewildered audience, struggling to comprehend the unfolding scene.
It was only when the arena’s giant screens replayed the incident in slow motion that the spectators fully grasped the magnitude of Tyson’s transgression.
The consequences were severe for both fighters. Tyson was left scarred, both physically and professionally. He received a lengthy suspension from boxing and did not return to the ring until 1999. Holyfield, although retaining his World Boxing Association title, bore the physical consequences of the bite, losing a portion of his ear. This infamous bout etched its place in history as “The Bite Fight.”
