Fans can bid on Evander Holyfield's boxing gloves from his second fight against Mike Tyson. They are currently at auction in Leland.
The two heavyweights first faced off in November 1996, in a long-awaited matchup. They were first supposed to fight in 1991, but those plans were derailed by Tyson suffering an injury. He then headed to prison not too long after.
Five years on from their cancelation, they put on a show in Las Vegas. Tyson was upset in the 11th round, losing by knockout. After 'Kid Dynamite's defeat, they quickly arranged a rematch, set for the following June.
The matchup was as chaotic as the first, but for different reasons. Tyson seemingly had a mental breakdown after suffering multiple headbutts from Holyfield. Tyson then attempted to bite off his opponent's ear, which caused him to be disqualified.
The post-fight melee is one of the most notorious in boxing history. Now, fans have a chance to get a piece of history and own the gloves held by 'The Real Deal'.
Even decades after the rematch, the aura around the fight hasn't vanished. Bids for Holyfield's gloves started at $10,000, but have already shot up past $12,000.
The bidding ends in 12 days.
Did Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson fight for a third time?
Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson never fought for a third time, however, they got pretty close.
Following his disqualification in the second outing, 'Iron Mike' was suspended and spent some time away from the ring. The two men then went on different career paths, as Holyfield spent the rest of his career searching for championships.
Meanwhile, Tyson was already burnt out on boxing by the end of 2000. He would call it quits in 2005, and Holyfield would retire in 2011. However, the possibility of an exhibition bout remained.
In 2020, Mike Tyson came out of retirement for an exhibition boxing match against Roy Jones Jr. on Triller pay-per-view. Holyfield was supposed to face 'Iron Mike' that night, but they couldn't come to terms on a deal and Tyson ended up facing Jones instead.
Triller got 'The Real Deal' under contract that spring, and arranged for him to face Kevin McBride. The fight never came to fruition; Holyfield instead faced Vitor Belfort in September 2021 and 'The Phenom' stopped the legend in round one.
With that, any plans for a trilogy blew up. Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield have since confirmed they have no plans to fight again.