Did you buy into the idea that Tyson bit Holyfield's ear......

.....because he KNEW he was getting his ass kicked and took the easy way out? I remember people making this claim which was totally ridiculous IMO.

Watching the fight as well as the first one, Mike was clearly frustrated by Holyfield's constant headbutts and flipped out in an unprofessional way. There was no "easy way out"

Nope that was some bogus theory made up by the Tyson haters and Holy fans..

I agree with you, Walker.. I mean it's no mystery that Holy's headbutt was a major part of his arsenal... Dude was so vicious with it he makes Bradley look innocent..

Back when this incident happened, everybody, even the time Magazine wrote a piece on it and all they would talk about is how Tyson is an ear munching monster etc etc etc... All they did was paint this man into a villain instead of looking at the real issue..

Tyson was beyond frustrated by Holy's dirty headbutts yet the ref pretty much let him have his way with it so tyson took matters into his own hands.. If the ref isn't gonna do his job, then fuck it, imma go eye for an eye.. That was his mentality and I totally feel where he was coming from..

This is typical in our sport.. Some fighters get a pass for their dirtyness because of who they are and what they have accomplished.. Take Barrera for instance, this dude was one of the dirtiest fighters of the past 15 years yet people rarely spoke in it.. why? cuz he's barrera.. Simliar situation with Holy..

I dont blame Tyson at all for what he did.. How dare you fuckin headbutt me.. Anybody who has been intentionally headbutted during a boxing match would understand how that feels.. And Holy didnt just do it once, twice, or even thrice.... he did it continuously and got away with it..

He had to use that extra weapon cuz he needed that edge over Tyson.. Without the headbutts, the fight could have looked alot different..

Tyson quit and he knew he was going to take a beating. If he had a chance he would have butted him back or punched him low, something like biting someone he knew he would get disqualified and when he wasn't the first time he did it again to make sure he would be.

He wasn't getting beaten in the second fight though, and had landed the bigger punches. I think Mike Tyson got frustrated because he didn't know how to work out on the inside, and because Holyfield head butted him blatantly multiple times.

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Originally Posted by Taeth

He wasn't getting beaten in the second fight though, and had landed the bigger punches. I think Mike Tyson got frustrated because he didn't know how to work out on the inside, and because Holyfield head butted him blatantly multiple times.

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don't know what you were watching Holyfield was still leading on the cards in the rematch, he landed the cleaner shots and smothered Tyson's attack for the majority of the fight, Mike didn't like going into the later rounds, realized he wasn't getting the win and was well on his way to another stoppage loss so he took the easy way out, not the last time he pulled a dirty stunt like this, didn't he try snapping Francis' arm? didn't he flat out quit against Williams? didn't he again try to snap McBride's arm?

There is no excuse what Tyson done in the Holyfield fight , he disgraced himself and more importantly he disgraced the noble art ,how anyone can make a excuse for this thug is beyond a joke ,Tyson did get butted , this is boxing the toughest game there is , it happens and always will, he was losing the fight and wanted a way out end of story ,he knew he could not hurt Holyfield , and was in for a long and painfull night, and acted like the bully he was .

Off topic but when Tyson fought Golota, Tyson had some kind of chemical in his hair, that when he headbutted Golota, Andrew lost his mind and ran away. I remember reading this in some Polish newspaper. I'm a huge Golota fan , but this was just a hilarious and absurd excuse

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Originally Posted by gest12645

Off topic but when Tyson fought Golota, Tyson had some kind of chemical in his hair, that when he headbutted Golota, Andrew lost his mind and ran away. I remember reading this in some Polish newspaper. I'm a huge Golota fan , but this was just a hilarious and absurd excuse

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must have gotten Tyson's hair follicle in his eye cause the only chemical Tyson had in his hair that night was the THC from the weed he smoked prior to the fight lol

i think that the one who starts must pay and not with just 1 silly deduction point, there is a lack of justice in boxing, any headbutts shouldn't be part of boxing, and i like ear bites or almost whatever after headbutts, but only if the fighter who suffers the headbutt is the weaker rival

Been a while since I watched the fight but my recollection was Tyson was losing and it was going pretty much the same as the first fight. Tyson's lack of mental toughness surfaced and he snapped.

I don't buy that Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield's ear because it was an easy way out of a beating he knew he couldn't get out of... I don't buy that hogwash!

If memory serves right, what was remarkable was how inefficient a referee in the caliber of a Judge, Mills Lane, if I remember correctly, have missed those blatantly and inexplicably repetitive head butting on 'Iron' Mike.

It was weird; most Tyson fans felt that there was a disparity in the level of officiating that was on display that night. Inexplicably too, the violations went on all night and only put to a halt once Tyson took it upon himself and taken steps to deliver the very first vicious thought that entered his mind... probably rationalized it as such as an act of self preservation towards someone administering a foul laden beating on him WITH THE BLESSING FROM THE REFEREE!
Several attempts were actually made by Mike to bring the arbitrator's attention to the infractions, but to no avail. Clearly, the chomping of Holyfield's ear was a frustration move on the part of Mike Tyson. I remember in his loss the first time to Evander, he likewise attributed it later to the successive and unopposed head butting that he experienced. So by this, clearly in his mind, he would not have allowed the same infraction to cost him a victory. Kind of a fool me once... but not fool me twice kind of a scenario.

I don't buy into that HOGWASH one bit!

Just from the few comments, it appears to be split down the middle years later.

Tyson copped out because he was not winning , he lost every big fight were the other guy didnt cave in.

Tyson is a complete maniac (or was) and deserves the reputation he has with the public, but I do sympathize with him on the ear biting thing.

Holyfield was headbutting the hell out of him, busting his face up, and Mills Lane just wasn't calling it. People will always remember it as Mike just going crazy for no reason and biting his ear, which is a shame because Mike had good reason to flip out IMO.

think he bit his ear because he wanted out. If he was retaliating to the headbutts then he would have gone low or headbutted back. He decided to take a chunck out of his ear and didn't get DQ'd so he went and done it again. That shows he wanted out by making sure he got the DQ.

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Originally Posted by Manos de Piedra

think he bit his ear because he wanted out. If he was retaliating to the headbutts then he would have gone low or headbutted back. He decided to take a chunck out of his ear and didn't get DQ'd so he went and done it again. That shows he wanted out by making sure he got the DQ.

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That seems like weird logic. If he wanted the DQ he probably would have went with a low blow or headbutt (more easily detectable than an ear bite).

He bit Holyfields ear because Evander clinched him after each headbutt, it was the only thing available.

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Originally Posted by Manos de Piedra

think he bit his ear because he wanted out. If he was retaliating to the headbutts then he would have gone low or headbutted back. He decided to take a chunck out of his ear and didn't get DQ'd so he went and done it again. That shows he wanted out by making sure he got the DQ.

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Agreed. Im a Tyson fan but he wanted to get out of the fight. No doubt he waz angry but nothing was going his way. If he did it out of retaliation he woukld have done it straight after one of teh headbutts but he didnt. He tried to win in round 3 you saw how he upped his tempo but when that failed he tried to get himslef d.q'd.

I think its pretty clear when you watch the fight. When the 1st attempt didnt get the fight stopped he treied again then right on the bell he went for a 3rd attempt which showed he was going to keep trying to get out the fight until he got d'q'd

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Originally Posted by Beanflicker

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Originally Posted by Manos de Piedra

think he bit his ear because he wanted out. If he was retaliating to the headbutts then he would have gone low or headbutted back. He decided to take a chunck out of his ear and didn't get DQ'd so he went and done it again. That shows he wanted out by making sure he got the DQ.

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That seems like weird logic. If he wanted the DQ he probably would have went with a low blow or headbutt (more easily detectable than an ear bite).

He bit Holyfields ear because Evander clinched him after each headbutt, it was the only thing available.

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But with a headbutt or low blow he would get a warning then a point then DQ, Holyfield was getting away with the headbutts so tyson may have aswell so just to make sure he went with the ear bite which was clearly more detectable because of holyfields reaction.

Tyson was truly frustrated and made a bad choice and the referee was probably sleeping when he should have straightened out Evander and at least took a point to gain control of the fight. I'm sure Tyson didn't plan it the way it turned out and there was no ketchup or mayonnaise in his corner. Tyson as far as I am concerned was and still is emotionally immature. He made a mistake and now he pays for it over and over because he was deluded with false pride and his entourage filled him with incorrect logic.

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Originally Posted by Master

Tyson quit and he knew he was going to take a beating. If he had a chance he would have butted him back or punched him low, something like biting someone he knew he would get disqualified and when he wasn't the first time he did it again to make sure he would be.

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Spot on.

How may times in fights have heads clashed on purpose or not and a boxer biting another in return.

I can only think of one fight,and that when Tyson took the easy way out and went for the DQ against Holyfield.

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Originally Posted by porkypara

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Originally Posted by Master

Tyson quit and he knew he was going to take a beating. If he had a chance he would have butted him back or punched him low, something like biting someone he knew he would get disqualified and when he wasn't the first time he did it again to make sure he would be.

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Spot on.

How may times in fights have heads clashed on purpose or not and a boxer biting another in return.

I can only think of one fight,and that when Tyson took the easy way out and went for the DQ against Holyfield.

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And I am a Tyson fan but he took the cowards way out like a thug and a bully.

Odd that Tyson fans of all people would bemoan any kind of roughhouse tactics :rolleyes: ...this is the guy who would routinely jam his forearm into his opponent's throat while jostling for position on the inside.

I like Tyson, I liked the way he fought, but he was not a guy that could put up with someone that wasn't afraid of him. Holyfield's style was just all wrong for him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1YEUENDwNY

Yep I find it odd that Tyson fans are pissed off at tactics that Holyfield used, but you never see them complain about Tyson hitting on the break (Biggs fight), breaking opponents arms (Botha fight), hitting low and After the bell (Ruddock fights), giving a forearm to someone's throat (1st 10 seconds of Spinks fight).:confused:

But yet they managed to complain when Holyfield beat the living shit out of Tyson once and was about to do it again before the ear bites in the 2nd match. Boxing is a rough and nasty sport and Holyfield gave Tyson a taste of the rough house tactics Tyson loved to use. You know what they say, "What's good for the goose is good for the gander."

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Originally Posted by generalbulldog

Yep I find it odd that Tyson fans are pissed off at tactics that Holyfield used, but you never see them complain about Tyson hitting on the break (Biggs fight), breaking opponents arms (Botha fight), hitting low and After the bell (Ruddock fights), giving a forearm to someone's throat (1st 10 seconds of Spinks fight).:confused:

But yet they managed to complain when Holyfield beat the living shit out of Tyson once and was about to do it again before the ear bites in the 2nd match. Boxing is a rough and nasty sport and Holyfield gave Tyson a taste of the rough house tactics Tyson loved to use. You know what they say, "What's good for the goose is good for the gander."

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They are mad because it shattered his aura of invincibility (which Douglas did in 1990, see "the long count" :vd: ). Look at Tyson post Douglas, post prison people say is "Post Prime", apparently losing 1 fight destroyed him as a fighter though he actually did face better competition after prison. His training and dedication at that point really means fuck all because he was psychologically and mentally the same fighter his entire career and when it worked it worked when it didn't he blew up.

You also left out the Lou Savarese mauling too.

Just how delusional were Tyson fans? Well even after Lennox Lewis smacked him around people would consistently say "If Tyson got back together with Rooney he'd win the title again" despite all the evidence pointing in the opposite direction: Patterson, Torres, etc all the peek-a-boo pressure fighters had short primes and by their mid 20's they were finished as champions.

It's funny as hell to think for a minute that a man who tries to snap arms, bite ears and chests etc can merit logic and thought process for a repeated action that is the lowest of the low. Mike was getting his ass kicked and had no answers, simple as. Who cares why he did what he did or what drove such a man of high esteem to be forced into turmoil and dog eat dog desperation. Poor thing. Please.

I think he clearly went for the DQ for a variety of reasons. The ref wasn't listening to him, and he was already suffering considerably, so he took the easy way out. He'd been taking the easy way out for years already. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Tyson in his prime, but this was not his prime.

...you guys do remember Holyfield had retired in 1994 after losing to Moorer due to his heart issue. The fight vs Tyson was part of Holyfield's comeback. So it really doesn't matter if Tyson was Prime or not, Holyfield had a bum ticker and still whipped his ass.

There is a moment in the first fight where Tyson unleashes everything he had at round 5 I think, including some vicious body shots. After that, Tyson tries to get out of the fight by banging his head into Holyfield and other tactics but mid way into the fight he realises he cannot get out of the fight and just takes the beating of his life and did show courage and determination taking it up to round 11.

In the second fight Holyfield carries on from where he left off and there was no way Tyson was going to go through that beating again. Tyson unleashes a tremendous barrage of quality combination punches but it was more in desperation than tactics. Holyfield takes it and Tyson goes for the disqualification.

Tyson fans just need to face facts Holyfield and Lennox Lewis were bad style matchups for Tyson

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

Tyson fans just need to face facts Holyfield and Lennox Lewis were bad style matchups for Tyson

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Lets not go over board here, prime tyson batters both of them.;)

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Originally Posted by FinitoElDinamita

Nope that was some bogus theory made up by the Tyson haters and Holy fans..

I agree with you, Walker.. I mean it's no mystery that Holy's headbutt was a major part of his arsenal... Dude was so vicious with it he makes Bradley look innocent..

Back when this incident happened, everybody, even the time Magazine wrote a piece on it and all they would talk about is how Tyson is an ear munching monster etc etc etc... All they did was paint this man into a villain instead of looking at the real issue..

Tyson was beyond frustrated by Holy's dirty headbutts yet the ref pretty much let him have his way with it so tyson took matters into his own hands.. If the ref isn't gonna do his job, then fuck it, imma go eye for an eye.. That was his mentality and I totally feel where he was coming from..

This is typical in our sport.. Some fighters get a pass for their dirtyness because of who they are and what they have accomplished.. Take Barrera for instance, this dude was one of the dirtiest fighters of the past 15 years yet people rarely spoke in it.. why? cuz he's barrera.. Simliar situation with Holy..

I dont blame Tyson at all for what he did.. How dare you fuckin headbutt me.. Anybody who has been intentionally headbutted during a boxing match would understand how that feels.. And Holy didnt just do it once, twice, or even thrice.... he did it continuously and got away with it..

He had to use that extra weapon cuz he needed that edge over Tyson.. Without the headbutts, the fight could have looked alot different..

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To be fair, Tyson was no angel either.

I remember back when Tyson fought Bruno, and Terry lawless in his interview after the fight saying, that Richard steele had given Bruno his final warning for holding and hitting, yet never once warned Tyson for the Headbutts, or the elbows that crunched into Bruno's face.

Maybe Holyfield had the attitude at the time, like im going to give it to you pal, just so you know where i'm coming from, and Tyson always the intimidator was actually placed i a position where "He" was the intimidated, and couldnt hack it, either that or the prospect of facing a fully motivated Holyfield kicking his butt again totally messed his mind up.

Either way, every fighter has his own fault's.

Protect yourself at all times.

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Originally Posted by Master

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

Tyson fans just need to face facts Holyfield and Lennox Lewis were bad style matchups for Tyson

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Lets not go over board here, prime tyson batters both of them.;)

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I don't see a Prime Tyson ever winning a battle of wills with Holy. He simply lacked the mental fortitude to beat someone of Evander's talent and toughness. I think a prime Lewis is too big, had too good of a jab and is too smart to lose either.

When Cus got Tyson what he wanted was "Floyd Patterson with a Sonny Liston attitude" and that's what he got.....BUT the major downside to the "Sonny Liston attitude" is that when a bully gets bullied in return they don't handle it very well.

Tyson would of got his ass kicked by Holyfeild anytime in his career he had his number. Tyson had a pretty weak era he ruled over almost as weak as this one so when he faced a elite like Holyfeild i think only outcome was the real deal getting his hand raised.

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Originally Posted by VictorCharlie

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Originally Posted by Master

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

Tyson fans just need to face facts Holyfield and Lennox Lewis were bad style matchups for Tyson

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Lets not go over board here, prime tyson batters both of them.;)

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I don't see a Prime Tyson ever winning a battle of wills with Holy. He simply lacked the mental fortitude to beat someone of Evander's talent and toughness. I think a prime Lewis is too big, had too good of a jab and is too smart to lose either.

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Holyfield weighed just over 200lb when he was about to fight Tyson the first time, and would have got beat. Lennox had a vulnerable chin and would have fought defensively and negatively and lost a points decision to a prime Tyson.

Agreed the Mike Tyson who fought Razor Ruddock still had it, he showed will and skill in the 2nd fight with Razor Ruddock. And would of KO'ed Evander Holyfield at that time, i think people are forgetting that at that time. Evander Holyfield barely survived against Bert Cooper, and was also hurt by Alex Stewart aswell.

Without the headbutts. Evander would still own Mike Tyson.


Vander is the Iran Barkley of Iron Mike. He's not intimidated he's style is perfect for Tyson. He would always force the fight in the inside and Tyson wont have the advantage of speed.

Tyson would be lucky to win 1 in 10 fights againts Holyfield.

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Originally Posted by ICB

Agreed the Mike Tyson who fought Razor Ruddock still had it, he showed will and skill in the 2nd fight with Razor Ruddock. And would of KO'ed Evander Holyfield at that time, i think people are forgetting that at that time. Evander Holyfield barely survived against Bert Cooper, and was also hurt by Alex Stewart aswell.

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He had a tough time with a drugged up Michael Dokes, but then again he had 0 trouble with Tyson ;D

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Originally Posted by miron_lang

Without the headbutts. Evander would still own Mike Tyson.


Vander is the Iran Barkley of Iron Mike. He's not intimidated he's style is perfect for Tyson. He would always force the fight in the inside and Tyson wont have the advantage of speed.

Tyson would be lucky to win 1 in 10 fights againts Holyfield.

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Things Evander needed to beat Tyson... namely; the referee, holding and head butts, and steroids! All three accomplished, therefore, he won both fights! ;)

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Originally Posted by KananKrus

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Originally Posted by miron_lang

Without the headbutts. Evander would still own Mike Tyson.


Vander is the Iran Barkley of Iron Mike. He's not intimidated he's style is perfect for Tyson. He would always force the fight in the inside and Tyson wont have the advantage of speed.

Tyson would be lucky to win 1 in 10 fights againts Holyfield.

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Things Evander needed to beat Tyson... namely; the referee, holding and head butts, and steroids! All three accomplished, therefore, he won both fights! ;)

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hahahaha


Referee - No, Halpern and Mills Lane are reputable refs
Holding - Legal
Headbutts - Unintentional ( I didnt even noticed it when i was watching it on livetelecast)
steroids - Speculation


Vander beats Tyson everytime ;D