Did Mike Tyson beat Evander Holyfield?
Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield have shared the boxing ring twice. It was 'The Real Deal' who emerged victorious on both occasions.
The pair of former heavyweight champions first collided in 1996. The fight was tagged as 'Finally' after both parties reached an agreement following multiple contractual disputes.
Holyfield headed into the clash off the back of a win over Bobby Czyz. Tyson, meanwhile, had won the WBA heavyweight title against Bruce Seldon in his prior outing.
In an entertaining battle, Holyfield started dominating the fight in the later rounds. At the end of the tenth frame, he connected with a brutal punch that had Tyson on the ropes.
Going into the 11th round, Holyfield was clearly the superior boxer. He charged forward immediately and landed a combination that was enough for the referee to stop the fight.
Ending Mike Tyson's eight-fight win streak, Holyfield sent shockwaves around the world of boxing.
A rematch between the two heavyweights went down seven months after their first encounter. This time around, Holyfield once again asserted his dominance, consistently outboxing Tyson.
In the third round, 'Iron Mike' infamously bit Evander Holyfield's right ear, which forced the referee to halt the fight momentarily. When the action resumed, Tyson, for the second time, bit Holyfield's left ear.
After the third round, Tyson was disqualified, thus losing two consecutive fights for the first time in his career.
Evander Holyfield is set to fight Vitor Belfort
Evander Holyfield is set to return to boxing after a one-decade hiatus. He will challenge former UFC champion Vitor Belfort as a replacement fighter after Oscar De La Hoya tested positive for COVID-19 earlier today, as reported by TMZ Sports.
Holyfield was also rumored to be taking on Mike Tyson in an exhibition bout. However, the highly-anticipated trilogy fight never came to fruition. According to Evander Holyfield's team, Tyson demanded a higher cut from their agreed-upon contract, which shut the doors on their potential fight.
"Team Holyfield sincerely believed a deal was imminent, especially after the Hard Rock threw its support behind the project, and there were multiple other offers conveyed to Team Tyson. However, Team Tyson’s demands recently became untenable, and not what Mike Tyson had originally agreed on in direct conversations with Holyfield," Holyfield's camp declared in a statement.