What penalty did Mike Tyson get for biting Evander Holyfield?
Mike Tyson found himself on the receiving end of a significant amount of flak for biting Evander Holyfield's ear during their rematch back in 1997. Initially slapped with a two-point penalty, 'Iron Mike' was subsequently disqualified after he bit Holyfield for the second time in the same fight.
What's more, the Nevada State Athletic Commission revoked his boxing license for a brief period. In addition to the ban, Tyson was handed the biggest fine the Commission could levy: a $3M fine or 10% of the $30M fight purse that he was offered to fight Holyfield.
Why did Mike Tyson bite Evander Holyfield?
Mike Tyson later admitted that his actions were a manifestation of his frustrations. Having been outboxed during the initial rounds of the fight, Tyson could not prevent himself from inflicting damage on Evander Holyfield.
"I bit him because I wanted to kill him. I was really mad about my head being bumped and everything. I really lost consciousness of the whole fight. It took me out of my fight plan and everything," Mike Tyson later admitted.
Yet another reason that prompted Mike Tyson to rely on his teeth was the referee's inaction concerning his complaints of getting headbutted. The referee adjudged the headbutt as an accidental error and urged the pugilists to keep fighting.
"He butted me in the second round, and he looked at me and butted me again. No one deducted points. This is my career. What am I supposed to do? I've got children to raise. He kept butting me," exclaimed Mike Tyson at the time.