The confrontation between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield is considered one of the most iconic in the history of not only heavy weight, but of boxing as a whole. Both fights between athletes became one of the largest events of this sport at that time and caused a huge resonance in the world of martial arts. In this case, the most controversial was the fight, which ended with the disqualification of the former absolute world champion.
The defeat in the first match was a real shock not only for Tyson himself, but also for many experts. He was considered a clear favorite, and at the time of the official announcement, the coefficient for the victory of the champion was incredible 1/25. Before the battle itself, the values leveled off a little (1/10), but Holyfield still remained an outsider. For Iron Mike, his incredible power and almost perfect track record spoke, a dark spot in which was the defeat of Buster Douglas. Evander had far from the most expressive indicators. In the last seven battles, he suffered three defeats, and the last of them - by technical knockout in the eighth round.
On the eve of the battle, many seriously feared for Holyfield's health. The reason for this was largely due to heart problems that opened after his fight with Michael Moorer. Then Evander lost the decision of the majority of judges and was forced to immediately go to the hospital.
However, in the ring Holyfield did not leave a chance to Tyson. He dominated throughout the confrontation, did not allow his counterpart to act in his favorite manner, combining corporate work with a jab and the exhausting "dirty box" in the clinch. In the tenth round, Mike miraculously managed to stand on his feet after a powerful series of punches performed by Evander, but just a few seconds after the start of the 11th, the judge decided to stop the beating. On November 9, 1996, the youngest world heavyweight champion resigned for the second time.
As Tyson later admitted, in fact, he had little chance of getting the better of Holyfield in 1996. According to him, despite a series of successful performances, he was not in the best shape. At that time, only a little more than a year passed from the moment he left prison and resumed his professional career, which could not but affect his physical condition. In addition, just two months before the battle with Evander, he fought with Bruce Seldon. Iron Mike knocked out his opponent in 109 seconds, but it still affected his condition.
“I understood that I was not in shape, because I did not have much time to prepare. I have not performed for four years. But then he was greedy and wanted money, so he agreed to the fight, ”Sports Illustrated quotes Tyson.
The revenge was decided on June 28, 1997. The anticipation of the coming battle, dubbed “The Sound and the Fury,” by analogy with the novel by American writer William Faulkner, was colossal. Evidence of this was the huge ticket prices and the activity of speculators. So, for the opportunity to look at the re-duel of Tyson and Holyfield, people were ready to pay $ 12 thousand.
Nevertheless, the atmosphere began to heat up even before the athletes were in the ring. As promoter Don King admitted, the difference between the first and second bouts was enormous. If in 1996 boxers expressed great respect to each other and behaved extremely professionally, then later this was not discussed. According to him, Mike and Evander regularly spoke harshly about each other in the press, and it was quite difficult to prevent them from starting a fight before the appointed date.
In addition, there were problems with the appointment of the referee. The first fight was judged by Mitch Halpern and, according to many eyewitnesses, did an excellent job. But Tyson had a different opinion, noting that he in no way prevented Holyfield from using dirty tricks. In particular, Iron Mike spoke of repeated head-kicks in the execution of the vis-a-vis and clinches, which the referee did not strongly interfere with.
“Tyson complained that Holyfield had three arms. He said that he used his head better than anyone in boxing, ”King admitted.
The Nevada Athletic Commission (NSAC) defended Halpern’s position and did not intend to follow Tyson’s lead, but the judge entered the case. According to the former head of the organization, Michael Ratner, Mitch did not want to become a central figure in this confrontation and decided to refuse to work in a duel. So for one of the main fights of the decade was appointed experienced Mills Lane. And this despite the fact that Holyfield's team protested against this candidacy.
However, in fact, the replacement of the judge did not particularly affect either the course of the bout itself or Holyfield’s ability to use prohibited methods. The reigning champion once again began to turn fist fighting into a fight, while flattering it with numerous attempts to strike a head. But if in the first round he was not able to achieve serious success, then in the second plan he paid off completely. Moving away from a vis-a-vis hit, Evander hit his head in Mike's face, as a result of which he had a deep dissection on the upper eyelid.
“I was very persistently preparing for the second match. In the first two rounds I realized that it was getting dark in my eyes, that my head was spinning, as it was in the first fight. After the first fight, I said that I would get the best form in my life. And then it started again. I began to rage. I did not receive any help from the referee. Holyfield must have hit me with his head about fifteen times, ”Tyson said.
It is worth noting that Iron Mike himself did not look the best. There was no talk of branded work on the hull, and numerous attacks from the swoop led to the fact that he found himself in the arms of Evander. Holyfield used the clinch very competently and did not open his arms for a long time, thereby making his opponent even more furious. As a result, during the second three-minute period, Tyson began to increasingly appeal to Lane, but he preferred not to intervene.
At the end of the third round, Tyson’s nerves finally surrendered. The ex-world champion finally began to get something in the ring: he began to work more and more often with combinations and even at times looked like himself a model of the best years. The more he was angry with the constant clinics performed by Holyfield, accompanied by a clash of heads. During one of these, he lost his temper and bit his opponent. Evander jumped in pain, and Mike spat out a piece of his right ear in the ring.
It is noteworthy that subsequently Holyfield admitted that he was aware of Tyson's intentions. According to the athlete, on the eve of the battle, he talked with a man who foresaw a similar development of events.
“Before the fight, this seer said:“ He will do something with your face, but you must remain focused. I thought it was an elbow or a head strike, but I never in my life would have thought that he would bite my ear. They saw how high I jumped, ”said Holyfield.
Everyone in the hall was absolutely shocked by the behavior of the applicant, but despite this, Judge Lane decided to continue the fight. It is noteworthy that the boxers even managed to bring the third round to the end. And this despite the fact that during the next clinch, Mike again bit Evander, however, already for his left ear. The athletes went to the corners, but in the interval between three minutes, it was decided to stop the battle and disqualify Tyson.
“You must understand the despair that Tyson was in. He was hit with a head, and he was deprived of the opportunity to turn to someone for help. Therefore, he allowed himself to bite the enemy. Holyfield acted in a familiar manner. Perhaps he did not even realize what he was doing. He came to win. He came for victory, and there is no escape from this. One must be prepared to accept what he intends to offer. No one knows if this was part of his plan. Only Evander can answer. As for Mike, disappointment and indignation filled his patience. Only one drop was enough for this to happen, ”King explained.
Stopping the battle provoked a brawl in the ring. Passion raged for more than ten minutes, after which ring-announcement Jimmy Lennon Jr. announced the official result. But even such a high-profile scandal did not stop Tyson from earning $ 27 million for this fight. Initially, he owed three million more, but the NSAC fined him 10% of the fee. At the same time, Holyfield received $ 35 million. Until 2007, Mike and Evander remained champions in the amount of payments for the fight among boxers.
As it turned out, such an athlete's behavior became a harbinger of subsequent problems. A boxing license was taken from Tyson, and immediately after a successful fight with Francois Botha, he was in prison for the second time. He was sentenced to 3.5 months for beating two men in Maryland. Subsequently, Mike returned to the ring and spent another nine fights, but won them only four victories. Three times he lost by knockout, and two more fights were declared invalid. And one of them due to the fact that traces of marijuana were found in the athlete's body.
As for Holyfield, he played until 2011, but two victories over Tyson remained the most high-profile in his career. In addition, Evander himself admitted that he does not hold evil at Mike for his behavior in revenge.
“He bit me, and I said that I was going to forgive him, which means that everyone should forgive him. Thanks to this, Mike and I are now talking a lot. We are two people who got out of the ghetto thanks to boxing - and besides boxing, I only played American football well - and see how much money we earned by doing something right, ”Holyfield concluded.