Twenty-five years ago Mike Tyson was struggling to come to terms with the fact his self-styled reputation as ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ was in grave jeopardy.
Tyson’s career revival, following his shocking first career defeat to underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas and his subsequent imprisonment for rape, was wrecked by Evander Holyfield in their first meeting in November 1996.
As he approached the rematch eight months later, the 30-year-old Tyson knew his fearsome aura would be banished for good if he failed to beat Holyfield at the second attempt.
Tyson’s second coming had been a relatively facile affair, with inconsequential wins over Peter McNeely and Buster Mathis Jr. leading up to a third-round stoppage of Frank Bruno to reclaim the WBC title.
Such was the aura surrounding Tyson that it was enough to make him the overwhelming favourite for his first fight with Holyfield, who had previously retired with a heart condition and for whom the build-up to the bout was punctuated by serious concerns for his health.
From the outset of their second bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, it was apparent that Holyfield was well-placed to repeat the feat and potentially deal Tyson’s championship career a terminal blow.
Tyson appeared to grow increasingly frustrated by Holyfield’s use of his head, about which he had complained in the wake of their first meeting, and which quickly opened a cut over his right eye.
The fight was briefly delayed while Lane considered his next move. Eventually he allowed it to continue, but waved it off when Tyson proceeded to bite Holyfield’s left ear. Tyson raged at the stoppage, and security personnel had to protect Holyfield in his corner.
Later, Tyson did not try to hide his assault. “Holyfield kept butting me,” he told media. “What am I supposed to do? I’ve got children to raise. He’s not a warrior. He’s got a little nick on his ear. He didn’t want to fight me.
Tyson’s boxing licence was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and he was fined £3million. Allowed to return just over a year later, he reeled off a succession of low-key wins until he was swatted by Lennox Lewis in Memphis in June 2002.
Holyfield, who had subsequently lost his titles to Lewis, fought on and won a series of low-key versions of the title. His had his last fight at the age of 48, when he was stopped by Brian Nielsen in Denmark.
Tyson and Holyfield made up and eventually became close friends. They appeared together on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2009, when Holyfield said he forgive Tyson, and Tyson responded by calling Holyfield a “gentleman”.
In retirement, the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ had finally started to repair his reputation. But a quarter of a century on, his ferocious career is still defined by the so-called ‘Bite Fight’ that dragged heavyweight boxing into the gutter.
