A Brief History
On June 28, 1997, shocked referee Mills Lane stopped the heavyweight championship fight between “Iron Mike” Tyson and Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield because Tyson had bit off a chunk of Holyfield’s ear.
Digging Deeper
Tyson is known to be erratic, with a checkered past that included juvenile offenses, jail time for rape (convicted 1992), another jail stint (assault, 1998), domestic violence and getting a tattoo over his face the day before a fight, causing the fight to be cancelled. In one fight he would not stop punching his opponent when the fight was over and ended up knocking down the referee, and in another he was disqualified for refusing a drug test. He told boxer Lennox Lewis “I want to eat your children.” In 2007 Tyson was found guilty of drug possession and driving under the influence, and admitted being a user of cocaine.
Still, purposely spitting out his mouthpiece with the obvious intention of going after Holyfield’s right ear shocked a boxing audience used to seeing violence and used to colorful characters involved with the sport. Tyson had been upset over suffering a cut from an unintentional head butt, and attempted to start the 3rd round without his mouthpiece. Referee Lane ordered him to put it in his mouth and later in the round Tyson spit it out in preparation for his infamous bite. In that epic 3rd round Tyson managed to bite the victim ear while in a clinch, severing about a 1 inch piece and spitting it onto the canvas.
Incredibly, Holyfield was willing to continue the fight and Lane did not disqualify Tyson, though he did dock the troubled fighter 2 points. After Tyson then bit Holyfield’s left ear, and a between rounds examination revealed the bite marks, Lane stopped the fight. Finally!
An enraged Tyson attempted to attack Holyfield, but was restrained, and the fighters were led out of the ring. About 25 minutes after the melee, the disqualification was announced to a stunned audience.
The unstable Tyson was banned for life from boxing, but was reinstated after a year upon his appeal. Tyson was also fined $3 million, making Holyfield’s ear an expensive snack. Tyson later apologized for his actions and the 2 fighters became friends. Incredibly, instead of being a pariah, Tyson, the ear biting convicted rapist, is welcomed by other celebrities and has appeared in movies and on television roasts.
We ask you, should Mike Tyson be shunned as an outcast, or still welcomed as a celebrity? (Watch your ears!)
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Historical Evidence
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