"Mike Tyson vs. Peter McNeeley Mike Tyson vs. Peter McNeeley, billed as ""He's Back"", was a professional boxing match contested on August 19, 1995. The match marked the return of Mike Tyson to professional boxing after over four years away due to his 1991 arrest and subsequent conviction for rape in 1992 which led to Tyson serving three years in prison. Tyson had twice defeated the number two ranked heavyweight, Donovan ""Razor"" Ruddock, in 1991. Shortly after his second victory over Ruddock, a blockbuster deal was made that would see Tyson face the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield on November"
"1996. In their 1997 rematch, Tyson bit a chunk from Holyfield's ear, resulting in his disqualification; Tyson's boxing license was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for one year and he was fined US$3 million. Holyfield won two of the three title belts, but lost a final match in 1999 with WBC champion Lennox Lewis, who became undisputed champion. The last decade has witnessed a continued decline in the popularity of boxing in the United States, marked by a malaise in the heavyweight division and the increased competition in the Pay-Per-View market from MMA and its main promotion, the"
"""The Bite Fight"" rematch between world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield and challenger Mike Tyson on June 28, 1997. After Tyson bit Holyfield's ears twice, Lane disqualified him. Lane's shirt was stained with blood from the incident, and he sold it to a memorabilia collector on the same night. Mitch Halpern was supposed to referee the fight, but Tyson's camp protested so Lane was brought in at the last minute. Less than 3 weeks later Lane refereed the match between Lennox Lewis and Henry Akinwande. Just like Tyson Vs. Holyfield, it ended in disqualification when Akinwande used illegal tactics, these being"
"Holyfield was able to score one of the biggest upset victories in the history of the sport after defeating Tyson in the 11th round by technical knockout. In 1997, Holyfield would successfully defend his newly won title after Tyson was disqualified for biting both of his ears. After that, Holyfield agreed to a unification match with IBF heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, who had previously defeated Holyfield over three years prior to capture the WBA and IBF titles. Hoylfield would avenge his previous loss to Moorer, gaining five knockdowns over him before the fight was stopped after the eighth round. With"
"in a disqualification instead. Reporters then interviewed Mike Tyson's instructor, who was upset about Lane's decision. The instructor said, ""They will have to explain that. I do not agree with it but it is what it is...all I know is Mike Tyson has a cut in his eye."" Twenty-five minutes after the brawl ended, announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. read the decision: ""Ladies and gentlemen, this bout has been stopped at the end of round number three. The referee in charge, Mills Lane, disqualifies Mike Tyson for biting Evander Holyfield in both ears, the winner by way of disqualification and still"
"fight was stopped at the end of the third round, with Tyson disqualified for biting Holyfield on both ears. The first time Tyson bit him, the match was temporarily stopped. Referee Mills Lane deducted two points from Tyson and the fight resumed. However, after the match resumed, Tyson crunched again, resulting in his disqualification, and Holyfield won the match. One bite was severe enough to remove a piece of Holyfield's right ear, which was found on the ring floor after the fight. Tyson later stated that his actions were retaliation for Holyfield repeatedly headbutting him without penalty. In the confusion"
"versus fringe contender Lou Savarese. On August 30, 2000, the announcement came that Tyson's next fight would be against former heavyweight title challenger Andrew Golota. Both men came into the fight with reputations as dirty fighters which led some to doubt whether the two could have a clean fight. Golotas' two most notable fights were against Riddick Bowe, where both times, Golota was disqualified for hitting Bowe below the waist. Meanwhile, Tyson was notoriously disqualified in his rematch with Holyfield for biting both of Holyfields' ears and had a history of hitting after the bell, repeated in his fights against"
"resumed. During another clinch, Tyson bit Holyfield's left ear. Holyfield threw his hands around to get out of the clinch and jumped back. Tyson's second bite just scarred Holyfield's ear. Lane did not stop the fight this time, so the two men continued fighting until time expired. The men walked back to their respective corners, and when the second bite was discovered, the fight was stopped. After the fight was stopped, Tyson went on a rampage at Holyfield and his trainer Brooks while they were still in their corner. Mills Lane told Tyson's corner that he was disqualifying Tyson for"
"the WBC title for not facing Lennox Lewis, defended the WBA title against Holyfield on November 9 of that year. Tyson was heavily favored to win, but Holyfield made history by defeating Tyson in an 11th round TKO. This was the third occasion on which Holyfield won the WBA Heavyweight title. However, the fight was not recognized as being for the Lineal championship, which was held by George Foreman at the time. Holyfield's rematch with Tyson took place on June 28, 1997. Known as ""The Bite Fight,"" it went into the annals of boxing as one of the most bizarre"
"fights in history. The infamous incident occurred in the third round, when Tyson bit Holyfield on one of his ears and had two points deducted. Referee Mills Lane decided to disqualify Tyson initially, but after Holyfield and the ringside doctor intervened and said Holyfield could continue, he relented and allowed the fight to go on. Tyson bit Holyfield again, this time on the other ear. Tyson's teeth tore off a small section of the top of his opponent's ear, known as the helix, and spat that bit of flesh out onto the canvas. The immediate aftermath of the incident was"
"both the WBA and IBF titles after refusing to fight Tony Tucker and Axel Schulz respectively. The vacant WBA title was then won by Bruce Seldon, who then lost the title to Mike Tyson. Tyson's first defense was against Holyfield, who earned an upset victory by 11th-round technical knockout to regain the WBA Heavyweight title. He would then successfully defend the title in a rematch with Tyson after Tyson was disqualified in the third round for biting Holyfield's ears. Meanwhile, Moorer would face Axel Schulz to determine who would win the vacant IBF Heavyweight title, winning the contest by spit"
"Lane stopped the fight with 26 seconds to go in the fifth round and disqualified Akinwande, giving Lewis the victory in the process. For Lane it was his second consecutive heavyweight championship fight that ended in disqualification, as less than 3 weeks prior, he was forced to disqualify Mike Tyson after he twice bit Evander Holyfield on the ears during the infamous Holyfield–Tyson II match. Because of his poor performance, the Nevada Athletic Commission withheld Akinwande's $1 million purse, and due to a law that was passed after the controversial Holyfield–Tyson rematch, could now take the entire amount of his"
"him off balance in the seventh round. Then a deal was signed for him to defend his crown against Mike Tyson in November 1991. Tyson delayed the fight, claiming he was injured in training, but was then convicted for the rape of Desiree Washington and sentenced to six years in prison, so the fight did not happen at that time. They fought in 1996 (Holyfield won by a TKO in 11) and a rematch in 1997 (Holyfield won by disqualification in three, after Tyson bit both of his ears). Holyfield made his next defense in Atlanta against late replacement in"
"bite avulsed a one-inch piece of cartilage from the top of the ear, and Tyson spit out the piece of ear onto the ring floor. As Holyfield shrieked in pain and jumped in circles, he managed to push Tyson away, at which point Lane called for a time-out. As Holyfield turned to walk to his corner, Tyson shoved him from behind. Lane sent Tyson to a neutral corner as an enraged Holyfield gestured for Mills Lane to look at his bitten ear, which was rapidly bleeding. The fight was delayed for several minutes as Lane debated what to do. Lane's"
"original decision was to immediately disqualify Tyson, but after the ringside doctor determined that Holyfield was able to continue despite the massive bite, Lane announced he would be deducting two points from Tyson and the fight would continue. Bobby Czyz, who was calling the fight with Steve Albert for Showtime, said, ""I wonder how this would have played in Mitch Halpern's eyes,"" and Albert told Czyz, ""That's a thought, Bobby."" As Lane explained the decision to Tyson and his cornermen, Tyson asserted that the injury to Holyfield's ear was the result of a punch. ""Bullshit,"" Lane retorted. The fight was"
"health. In 1996 he defeated Mike Tyson and reclaim the WBA title, in what was named by ""The Ring"" magazine as the Fight of the Year and Upset of the Year. This made Holyfield the first boxer since Muhammad Ali to win a world heavyweight title three times. Holyfield won a 1997 rematch against Tyson, which saw the latter disqualified in round three for biting Holyfield on his ears. During this reign as champion, he also avenged his loss to Michael Moorer and reclaimed the IBF title. In 1999 he faced Lennox Lewis in a unification fight for the undisputed"
"about head-butting in the first bout between the two fighters. Upon reviewing replays, referee Mills Lane stated the headbutts were unintentional and nonpunishable. As the third round was about to begin, Tyson came out of his corner without his mouthpiece. Lane ordered Tyson back to his corner to insert it. Tyson inserted his mouthpiece, got back into position and the match resumed. Tyson began the third round with a furious attack. With forty seconds remaining in the round, Holyfield got Tyson in a clinch, and Tyson rolled his head above Holyfield's shoulder and bit Holyfield on his right ear. The"
"was stripped of his WBA Heavyweight title for refusing to fight number one contender Tony Tucker, the WBA organized a fight between Tucker and little–known Bruce Seldon to determine who would become WBA Heavyweight champion. Seldon was able to defeat the aging Tucker by referee technical decision after the fight was stopped in the seventh round due to Tucker's eye being completely swollen shut. He would then successfully defend the title against Joe Hipp, who became the first Native American to challenge for a major heavyweight title, on the undercard of the Tyson–McNeeley fight on September 7, 1995. Since being"
"bedlam. Tyson was disqualified and a melee ensued. Tyson claimed his bites were a retaliation to Holyfield's unchecked headbutts, which had cut him in both fights. Others argued that Tyson, knowing he was on his way to another knockout loss, was looking for a way out of the fight. His former trainer, Teddy Atlas, had predicted that Tyson would get himself disqualified, calling Tyson ""a very weak and flawed person."" Next came another rematch, this time against Michael Moorer, who had recovered the IBF's world title. Holyfield knocked Moorer to the canvas five times and referee Mitch Halpern stopped the"
"for Showtime for the Tyson/Holyfield fight in 1997 in which Tyson bit off Holyfield's earlobe, interviewing the referee who disqualified Tyson, Mills Lane, and Tyson just moments after he bit Holyfield. The interview won an Emmy. Gray also reported on the Olympic bombing from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Gray was the reporter on the air for several major sports events including the Malice at the Palace for the Pistons vs Pacers game when Ron Artest went into the stands and battled with fans. Later, Gray got exclusive one on one interview with Artest. On February 5, 2017 in Houston, TX,"
"round 11, the two fighters would exchange low blows, but Lane opted not to deduct points, instead warning the two to ""knock that shit off"". In round 12, Tyson would fight Ruddock aggressively in an attempt to gain the knockout victory, but Ruddock was able to withstand Tyson's attack and survive the fight without any further knockdowns. By the end of the fight, Ruddock's left eye had been swollen shut and his jaw had been broken, while Tyson suffered a perforated eardrum. After months of tough negotiations between Tyson's and Evander Holyfield's respective camps, which included both men's promoters attempting"
"fight the winner of Holyfield-Foreman. Referee Richard Steele stopped the fight in Tyson's favor after round 7. Some fans were unhappy with the decision and fights erupted in the stadium. Steele had to be escorted out of the ring after the angry protests. A rematch was held June 28, 1991 and lasted a full 12 rounds. Tyson knocked Ruddock down twice during the bout, and won by unanimous decision. Both fighters were injured; Ruddock had a broken jaw and Tyson suffered a perforated eardrum. ""Sports Illustrated"" reported that Ruddock's jaw may have been broken as early as the fourth round."
"no chance to win by numerous commentators, defeated Tyson by TKO when referee Mitch Halpern stopped the bout in round eleven. Holyfield became the second boxer to win a heavyweight championship belt three times. Holyfield's victory was marred by allegations from Tyson's camp of Holyfield's frequent headbutts during the bout. Although the headbutts were ruled accidental by the referee, they would become a point of contention in the subsequent rematch. Tyson and Holyfield fought again on June 28, 1997. Originally, Halpern was supposed to be the referee, but after Tyson's camp protested, Halpern stepped aside in favor of Mills Lane."
"left eye. Tyson would continue to dominate in rounds 5 and 6, consistently attacking Biggs with hooks and right hands, though Biggs would survive both rounds without getting knocked down. With 30 seconds left in round 7, Tyson hit Biggs with a left hook that sent Biggs to canvas and almost out of the ring. Biggs was able to answer the referee's count at nine. Tyson would continue his assault as soon as Biggs got up and quickly knocked down Biggs again, this time with a left hook, leading to referee Tony Orlando stopping the fight and awarding Tyson the"
"Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson, billed as ""The Championship: Part II"" was a professional boxing match fought on September 7, 1996 for the WBA Heavyweight championship. The fight was part of a pay-per-view event produced by Don King Productions and carried on pay-per-view by Showtime. The fight is notable in the fact that in attendance was rapper Tupac Shakur, who would be fatally shot just hours after the fight, following an altercation with Crip Orlando ""Baby Lane"" Anderson at the casino. Shakur died six days later on September 13 from ballistic trauma. After George Foreman"
"rights, and casino profits. As a result of biting Holyfield on both ears and other behavior, Tyson's boxing license was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and he was fined $3 million plus legal costs. The revocation was not permanent; a little more than a year later on October 18, 1998, the commission voted 4–1 to restore Tyson's boxing license. In the 2008 documentary ""Tyson"", the boxer claimed he did it as retaliation for the headbutting. On October 16, 2009 on ""The Oprah Winfrey Show"", Tyson apologized to Holyfield. Holyfield accepted his apology and forgave Tyson. A book entitled"
"down by Bowe again, forcing Cortez to stop the fight and award Bowe the victory via technical knockout. The two fighters would head in opposite directions after the fight. Holyfield continued his comeback and knocked out former two-division champion Bobby Czyz in his next fight in May 1996. Later that year, he was contracted to face Mike Tyson, whom Holyfield had originally signed to fight in 1991 before injury and Tyson's rape conviction scuttled the planned bout, for the first defense of the WBA championship Tyson won from Bruce Seldon. Holyfield scored what was considered an upset by knocking Tyson"
"career. Holyfield, however, was able to rebound from the knockdown to earn the victory via 7th round technical knockout. After his defeat of Cooper, Holyfield had hoped to next fight Tyson. The two men were originally scheduled to fight each other on November 8, 1991, before Tyson pulled out of the fight with a rib injury. Then on February 10, 1992, Tyson was convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison, leading to the cancellation of the Holyfield–Tyson fight. On March 5, 1992, it was announced that Holyfield's next opponent would be 42-year-old former Heavyweight champion Larry Holmes."
"to defend the belt against Tyson in their first defense. Mike Tyson was the aggressor for the entire fight. In round 1, Tyson continuously attacked Bruno with right overhand punches, forcing Bruno to grapple with Tyson several times in the round in order to weather the storm. In the final 30 seconds of the round, the two men would go toe-to-toe with Tyson connecting with a power right hand that staggered Bruno. Bruno would regain his composure and exchange punches with Tyson until the bell sounded. During their first round exchange, Bruno would receive a cut over his left eye."
"had a rematch August 16, 2003, at ""Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies"" which saw Corino defeated. After twenty minutes of fighting which saw both men bleeding and carrying injuries, Homicide trapped Corino in a modified STF, prompting Corino's corner man, Guillotine LeGrande, to throw in the towel, awarding the match to Homicide. In the course of the match, Corino suffered a legitimate ruptured eardrum, and permanently lost most of the hearing in his left ear following a stiff slap to the side of the head from Homicide. Homicide has since stated in a shoot interview that he is not sorry for"
"Mike Tyson vs. Buster Mathis Jr. Mike Tyson vs. Buster Mathis Jr., billed as ""Presumption of Innocence"", was a professional boxing match contested on December 16, 1995. Mike Tyson had returned to boxing after a three-year prison stint with an 89-second victory over Peter McNeeley. After his victory, Tyson's rank as the number one ranked heavyweight was restored by the three major boxing organizations (the WBA, WBC and International Boxing Federation). Before he would fight for one of the three World Heavyweight titles, he would first partake in second comeback fight. Only days after his victory over McNeeley, it was"
"Mike Tyson vs. Buster Mathis Jr. Mike Tyson vs. Buster Mathis Jr., billed as ""Presumption of Innocence"", was a professional boxing match contested on December 16, 1995. Mike Tyson had returned to boxing after a three-year prison stint with an 89-second victory over Peter McNeeley. After his victory, Tyson's rank as the number one ranked heavyweight was restored by the three major boxing organizations (the WBA, WBC and International Boxing Federation). Before he would fight for one of the three World Heavyweight titles, he would first partake in second comeback fight. Only days after his victory over McNeeley, it was"
"and knocked him down in the sixth round. Halpern stopped the fight in the eleventh round, giving Holyfield an upset victory. The fight began with Holyfield dominating Tyson. Holyfield won the first three rounds. At 2:19 of the first round, an overhand right from Holyfield stunned Tyson, but Tyson fought back immediately pushing Holyfield backwards. At 32 seconds into the second round, Holyfield ducked under a right from Tyson. In doing so, he head-butted Tyson, opening a large cut over the latter's right eye (although trainer Ritchie Giachetti believed the cut happened in the first round). Tyson had repeatedly complained"