On November 9, 1996, ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson made the first defence of his World Boxing Association (WBA) Heavyweight Title against Evander ‘The Real Deal’ Holyfield at MGM Grand, Las Vegas. The bout was seen by many observers – including bookmakers, who initially quoted Holyfield at 25/1 – as little more than a formality for the self-styled ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’, against a washed up opponent.
Indeed, when Tyson landed a clean right hand, which sent Holyfield staggering across the ring, in the opening seconds, a quick, dramatic knockout looked on the cards. However, Holyfield refused to be intimidated, kept his head and landed some good shots of his own. Having connected several times in round one, he did so again in round two, with a straight left that stopped Tyson in his tracks.
Holyfield continued to crowd in on Tyson, removing the efficacy of his hook and, although caught with a ferocious right uppercut, which sent him backpeddling, in the fifth round, showed no sign of crumbling. In the sixth round, Tyson sustained a cut above his left eye from an accidental headbutt and as the chant of ‘Holyfield!’ rang out from the crowd, suffered just the second knockdown of his career.
Thereafter, Tyson appeared increasingly tired and lacking in confidence. Late in the tenth round, Holyfield connected with two powerful right hands, which sent Tyson stumbling across the ring. Dazed and unsteady on his feet, Tyson came out for the eleventh round, but lasted only 37 seconds, with the referee stepping in to stop the contest and hand Holyfield victory by technical knockout. The bout was named ‘Fight of the Year’ and ‘Upset of the Year’ by ‘The Ring’ magazine.