Mike Tyson Explained What He was Thinking When He Bit Evander Holyfield’s Ear
Mike Tyson once explained what went through his mind when he infamously bit off the ear of heavyweight boxing rival, Evander Holyfield, during the third round of their second encounter in June 1997. The incident is regarded as one of the most shocking moments in the storied history of boxing, as a fight between two massive icons of the sport has never been decided for such a bizarre reason.
Having lost the WBA heavyweight title via an 11th round stoppage in his first fight against Holyfield in November 1996, Tyson was naturally hyped up and looking for revenge in the rematch a year later. However, after growing increasingly frustrated in the opening three rounds of the contest due to Holyfield starting out the better, ‘Iron Mike’ allowed his emotions to overcome him and the bit landed on his rival’s right ear.
The shocking incident led to Holyfield screaming in agony and bleeding from his right ear, whilst Tyson spat out the one-inch piece of cartilage onto the floor of the MGM Grand Garden Arena ring. After a delay to check Holyfield was okay, the fight resumed, but Tyson then attempted to bite off his rival’s left ear. Luckily for Evander, the attempted bite only scarred his ear.
Once the second bite was brought to the attention of the referee, Mills Lane, at the conclusion of the third round, Tyson was officially disqualified and Holyfield named the winner. Millions of fans watching around the world couldn’t believe what they had just seen and, once the chaos had died down, most had only one question: Why did Tyson do it?
The New York-born slugger’s former coach, Teddy Atlas, has stated that the incident happened because Tyson was ‘intimidated’ by Holyfield. However, Mike himself has described exactly what he was thinking in the moment – and he paints a different picture.
Speaking with GQ in 2020, Tyson responded to a question about the infamous ear incident with Holyfield and explained his actions:
“I got very frustrated and discouraged and stuff. And, he was headbutting me, and I was really mad, and I didn’t know what to do. I just exploded and I bit his ear.”
The headbutt Tyson mentions occurred during the second round of the fight as Holyfield dodged a right-handed punch from ‘Iron Mike’ and inadvertently caused his opponent to be cut just above his right eye. Tyson later added he was “truly sorry” for his controversial actions in his second showdown with Holyfield.
Tyson’s only shot at a world title after his two showdowns with Holyfield came when he fought former undisputed champion, Lennox Lewis, in 2002. However, ‘Iron Mike’ was to never lift a world heavyweight title again as Lewis delivered a knockout in the eighth round of their fight.
Tyson and Holyfield have since put the incident behind them – and have even teamed up to promote a line of CBD gummies shaped as an ear with a bite taken out of it.
