On June 28, 1997, at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Evander ‘The Real Deal’ Holyfield made the first defence of his WBA heavyweight title against ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson, from whom he had won the title, by technical knockout, at the same venue the previous September. Originally billed as ‘The Sound and the Fury’, the rematch was, at the time, the highest grossing match in the history of boxing.
Holyfield started well, winning the first two rounds on all three judges’ scorecards. However, early in round two, Tyson sustained a cut over his right eye from an ‘accidental’ headbutt, which spurred him into ferocious action at the start of round three. Nevertheless, despite landing several solid right hands, Tyson failed to make much impression on Holyfield and, after two minutes, his frustration boiled over.
Inexplicably, as the pair came together in a clinch, Tyson viciously bit Holyfield on his right ear, removing a piece, and as he retreated to his corner, rushed across the ring and pushed him from behind. Bemused referee Miles Lane called time-out to assess the situation and after consultation with ringside officials, deducted two points from Tyson before allowing the bout to continue. Shortly afterwards, Tyson bit Holyfield again, this time on the left ear, and was, unsurprisingly, disqualified at the end of the round. Tyson was fined $3 million – the maximum allowed by law – by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and had his boxing licence revoked for just over a year.