One of the greatest and most notorious fights in boxing history was the bout between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield in 1997. The match was a spectacle to behold, made even more controversial and memorable by the grievous injury that Tyson inflicted onto Holyfield- namely, the biting off of his ear.
With such a result, one would expect the two to be mortal enemies and never lay their differences to rest. However, that is not the case as the pair of boxing legends have finally decided to leave their rivalry and the incident in the past.
Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield reunite after 25 years
Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield have been eternal rivals. Tyson is a legendary figure in the boxing community with his name resting on laurels alongside figures such as Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston. Tyson was known for being a vicious striker in the ring whose name alone was enough to scare even the toughest opponents.
Tyson in his prime, was the most feared and respected man in the boxing world. After his retirement, Tyson pursued other interests and hobbies but, he made time to appear on certain shows and podcasts and even chimes in with his opinion from time to time on current fighters. He even considered having an appearance in the WWE.
While Tyson is and always be an influential and widely respected individual in the boxing world, he is not completely innocent of controversy and gossip. Tyson is known for being brash, quick in his temperament and easily irritable. His most notorious moment, however, came when he happened to bite part of the ear off of Evander Holyfield in 1997. The incident left both in a bitter rivalry and with contempt towards each other. However, after twenty-five long years of “the bite”, the pair have finally buried the hatchet.
Earlier today, Mike Tyson posted a picture of the two of them sitting next to each other. He captioned the post writing, “We’ve come a long way since the bite fight”.
Evander Holyfield immediately replicated the gesture as he commented, “I love you Mike👊🏿”.
Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield’s bite fight explained
The infamous fight between the pair took place on 28th June 1997. The story of the incident has been long shrouded in controversy. The match was proceeding as normal but Tyson, who was the favorite, soon lost favor with the crowd.
Holyfield kept landing blow after blow, and in the second round, after he landed a headbutt on Tyson, he lost whatever composure he had. In the third round, he took off his mouthpiece and bit off part of Holyfield’s ear which resulted in him being disqualified, fined a whopping $3 million, and had his boxing license revoked.
This incident has lived on in notoriety in the boxing world and resulted in a bitter relationship between the pair of boxers. However, now, twenty-five years after the incident, the pair have decided to bury the hatchet and end the hatred. As they say, time heals all wounds, and the boxing world welcomed their decision with open arms and with glee.
While the incident may yet live on in the memory of people, the two retired professionals have decided to end the rivalry in a very cordial manner that shows whatever happens in the ring, stays in the ring.
