This is the next in my blog series ‘Great Vegas Fights’. This blog is about Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson 2, which took place on June 28, 1997 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The rematch was made after the first meeting between both men, and because of the monumental upset Evander pulled off. Much of the public still viewed Tyson as invincible, and he was listed as a slight favorite in the Vegas sportsbooks for the second fight. It was originally scheduled for May 3rd, but pushed back because of a Tyson injury. Unlike the first time they met, I would settle for watching it on pay-per-view on my 46″ projection
My brother came over my house to watch it, and we both expected Evander to win again. Both guys weighed in at 218 lbs., and were as prepared as they could be. Mills Lane was chosen as the referee, and it would turn out to play a huge part of the outcome.
Holyfield was confident as the opening round began, and won the round on his combinations and hard right hands. The second round was pretty much the same, and it was obvious that Tyson had no answer for the ‘Real Deal’. An unintentional butt caused a cut over Tyson’s right eye in the round, and the ex-champion and his corner were looking to blame it for an excuse as to why he was losing.
With 40 seconds remaining in the round, just after some back and forth exchanges between the fighters, Tyson reached over while in a clinch and bit off a huge chunk of Evander’s right ear. Holyfield jumped back, and about a foot in the air, and watching it live made you wonder what had happened. After Mills Lane deducted 2 points from Tyson, just a few seconds later he incredibly bit Evander’s left ear as well!
Mayhem ensued when Lane disqualified Tyson the ‘Sicko’, and he immediately went into a rage that caused the ring to be flooded with police and security guards. The lunatic tried to reach Evander to hit him, but was corralled by his cornermen, and it made you wonder what you had just seen.
This was not a great fight by any means. The reason I wrote about it at all was because of it’s historical significance, and the fact that the whole world watched a man disintegrate before it’s very eyes. Evander remained poised through the whole mess, and when the night ended, it certainly was one I would never forget.
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