Why Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear
Full episode: Mike Tyson makes boxing infamy
It may be the most infamous boxing match ever, if not one of the most infamous moments in sports. In this LiveNOW & Then full episode, we look back at how the media covered Mike Tyson before and after he took a bite out of Evander Holyfield’s ear in 1997.
One of the most anticipated fights in boxing, featuring two of the biggest names in the sport, became one of the most infamous moments in the ring.
Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield fought on June 28, 1997, in Las Vegas, a rematch of their fight a year earlier when Holyfield defeated Tyson to win the WBA heavyweight in 11 rounds.
Tyson was seeking to avenge his 1996 loss to Holyfield, but during the third round of the rematch, Tyson bit a chunk of Holyfield’s ear, spit it out, and bit his ear again.
RELATED: Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight rescheduled for Nov. 15
The fight was stopped, and referee Mills Lane disqualified Tyson. A melee ensued in the ring as police tried to separate the two fighters and members of their camps.
Holyfield was taken to an area hospital for treatment. The shocking moment became one of the most controversial incidents in sports history.
What led to the ear-biting incident?
File: Referee Mills Lane stops the fight in the third round as Evander Holyfield (R) holds his ear as Mike Tyson (L) watches 28 June 1997 during their WBA heavyweight championship fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (JEFF HAYNES
In the early rounds of the bout, Mike Tyson complained about multiple headbutts from Evander Holyfield that were ruled accidental by Lane.
Holyfield headbutted Tyson again in the second round of the fight, but referee Mills Lane also ruled the contact an accident.
Tyson came out for the third round without his mouthpiece, but Lane ordered him to put it back in. Moments later, Tyson bit Holyfield’s ear.
"What am I to do? This is my career. I can’t continue getting ‘butted like that. I got children to raise and this guy keeps ’butting me, trying to cut me. I gotta retaliate," Tyson said in a post-fight interview.
Was Tyson punished for the ear bite?
In the aftermath of the fight, the Nevada Boxing Commission held a hearing and fined Mike Tyson $3 million and imposed a one-year ban and lost his boxing license, which was eventually reinstated. Tyson later apologized to Holyfield for the incident.
What did Holyfield say about the bite?
Holyfield addressed the controversial moment in the ring, later telling a reporter, "Well, I accepted his apology but when you look at it, is the person sincere? Only time tells that as well. But I don’t think that, regardless if a person apologizes or not, the [Nevada Boxing] Commission still has to do their job."
Years after the ear-biting incident, Tyson and Holyfield made amends and even went into business together selling cannabis edibles that pay homage to their 1997 fight.
The two champions launched "Holy Ears," a THC and Delta-8 THC-infused edibles that are shaped like bitten ears, that launched in November 2022 through "TYSON 2.0," the boxer’s cannabis company.
Mike Tyson - Jake Paul fight
The 58-year-old former heavyweight champ is returning to the ring to battle Jake Paul on Friday, Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in a bout being aired on Netflix.
RELATED: Mike Tyson on age concerns ahead of Jake Paul fight: 'I'm a different species of human being'
Tyson is 31 years older than Paul, but told FOX 4 in Dallas in October you shouldn't compare him to other people his age.
"Other people my age haven't been training as long as me, been as consistent as me, and I'm just a different species of human being," Tyson told FOX 4 reporter Mike Doocy.