The Ear-Resistible Tale of Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield II

On June 28, Evander Holyfield met Mike Tyson seven months after he defeated Iron Mike by eleventh-round TKO. The rematch was for Holyfield’s WBA strap, which “The Real Deal” won in their first encounter. We love our nostalgia at Big Fight Weekend and are taking you back to Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield II at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Evander Holyfield Defeats Mike Tyson by Third-Round DQ

Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II Recap

The second fight saw Holyfield start brightly, dominating the first three rounds. He let Iron Mike feel his power in the first round, but Tyson showed he still possessed plenty of fight and fired back. A clash of heads in round two was deemed unintentional before we entered the crazy world of round three.

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Tyson exploded in the third round, launching a furious assault on Holyfield, and towards the end of the round, the two fighters found themselves in a clinch, which resulted in a frustrated Tyson biting The Real Deal on his right ear in unbelievable scenes, Tyson spat out the bitten cartilage in shocking scenes.

Hear Dan Rafael and T.J. Rives discuss this fight and more on the “Big Fight Weekend Preview Podcast” by clicking the play button below.

Holyfield jumped into the air in pain once he was bitten, bleeding straight from the wound. Mills Lane immediately stopped the fight, and just when it seemed things couldn’t get any more strange, Tyson shoved his opponent into his corner, with Mills splitting up both fighters before deliberating on his verdict.

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After consulting others in power at ringside, Mills decided the fight would continue with Iron Mike receiving a two-point deduction. Amazingly once the fight restarted, during another clinch, Tyson inexplicably bit Holyfield’s left ear, sending the champion into pain once again. Following the end of the round – the second bite was discovered – and Iron Mike was informed he would be disqualified for biting The Real Deal, and another Mike Tyson loss would enter the record books.

Post-Fight Scenes

Tyson charged at Holyfield after the fight ended, with security splitting the two up in scenes that can only be described as pandemonium. Despite Holyfield leaving the ring soon after Lane explained his decision in an interview – no one seemed to know what was going on until Jimmy Lennon Jr. explained to the crowd: “Ladies and gentlemen, this bout has been stopped at the end of round number three. The referee in charge, Mills Lane, disqualifies Mike Tyson for biting Evander Holyfield in both ears, the winner by way of disqualification and still the WBA Champion of the world, Evander ‘the Real Deal’ Holyfield!”

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After leaving the ring Tyson was involved in numerous verbal spats with the crowd – making obscene gestures. It was revealed after the fight that this was the first title disqualification since Joe Louis fought Buddy Baer.

Undeniably, this incident will forever be in the boxing history books.