Evander Holyfield vs Mike Tyson II, The Sound and the Fury, 1997
This was the pair's second professional bout, and it was referred to as Evander Holyfield vs Mike Tyson II – a rematch of their previous bout in 1996.
Tyson, defending his WBA title at the time, was widely the favourite to win the first match in 1996 despite Holyfield having won a championship title earlier. He would end up surprising Tyson with unprecedented strength and speed, and controlled the fight, which eventually went in his favour.
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The pair had a widely-touted rematch the following year, and one that would eventually go down in history for all the wrong reasons.
At the 1997 match, called The Sound and the Fury, Holyfield dominated Tyson early on, with Tyson receiving a slight cut to the head from a headbutt in the second round. It was in the third round that the infamous ‘biting’ incident occured.
Towards the end of the third round, Tyson lunged at Holyfield, biting off a one-inch piece of cartilage from his rival’s right ear and spitting it onto the ground. Despite this, a doctor determined Holyfield was fit enough for the match to continue. Tyson then bit Holyfield’s left ear, and that ended the match, with Tyson being disqualified. Holyfield went on to win the title and championship.
