Mike Tyson was all smiles with Evander Holyfield until there was a world title and Pay Per View money at stake between the heavyweight rivals.
Holyfield shared an image of the pair during their younger days. At the time, Tyson was a young, hungry knockout artist. Holyfield, for his money, was a rising cruiserweight.
Sharing places on the US amateur team back in the day, Holyfield and Tyson had no beef until a fateful night in Las Vegas.
A frustrated Tyson took offense to a series of innocuous headbutts by Holyfield in a 1997 title rematch. Holyfield had stopped Tyson months prior, the first man to do so since Buster Douglas.
To add insult to injury, Holyfield was the man who knocked out Douglas as Tyson faced legal problems outside the ring.
The Holyfield vs Tyson rivalry would end soon after, with “Iron Mike” biting a chunk of Holyfield’s ear off.
Mike Tyson bites Holyfield’s ear off
Posting the innocent picture, Holyfield accompanied it with his usual nice guy words.
“The Clash, the Sound, and the Fury,” said Holyfield. “This picture was taken years ago, before what most call “The Bite Fight.”
“It’s amazing how the past and the future sometimes bring back memories. Back then and now, I have always had the “Lord Almighty” by my side to give me the strength to overcome all and everything.
“That is the “Real Deal,” he added.
Did Holyfield forgive Tyson?
Speaking exclusively to World Boxing News in a noted interview, Holyfield explained he never had any hard feelings toward Tyson. That’s despite losing part of his anatomy to “The Baddest Man on the Planet.”
“Not at all,” stated Holyfield when asked if there was any animosity by WBN. “When you talk about Tyson, you have to talk about how great he was.
“The fact is he did amazing things. For one thing, he was the youngest heavyweight champion ever until we get another one [in the future]. But right now, he’s the youngest guy that did it.
“He became the champ in his early twenties. I became the heavyweight champ at 28. I was a lot older. You learn from other people’s problems.
“So, when people talk about Tyson to me, they can’t bring anything negative into me. For the simple fact of the matter, Mike and myself were on the same squad trying to make the Olympic team [in 1984].
“I made it, but he didn’t make it. So here’s a guy that could have just quit, but he continued what he wanted to do and became amazing in the eighties.”
Years later, the pair would make money selling barbeque sauce and edible gummies. The weird but impenetrable bond remains.
