BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
Twenty years ago this week, eternal hero Mike Tyson sunk his teeth into Evander Holyfield
PICTURE the scene. At some point during the early rounds of their rematch, Wladimir Klitschko decides enough is enough, opens his mouth wide, clamps his teeth down on Anthony Joshua, and rips off a sizeable chunk of his ear. And then, from his bloodstained lips, nonchalantly spits it out while Joshua leaps around in bemusement, anger and pain. It doesn’t stop there. After getting a severe telling off from the referee, a crazed Klitschko attempts to take a bite out of the Englishman’s other ear. And then, outside the ring, all manner of hell breaks loose.
I realise this is almost impossible to imagine, despite Mike Tyson doing just that to Evander Holyfield in their infamous sequel (which followed a glorious 11-round opener) 20 years ago this week. Klitschko would never do it for a start – the Ukrainian’s similarities with Tyson start with a gift for punching exceptionally hard and stop with the world heavyweight championship they used to own. But even in 1997, ahead of arguably the most hotly anticipated rematch in the division’s history, and even when looser than loose cannon Tyson was a major force, such an incident was unthinkable too. Well, of course it was. When predicting the outcome of the biggest fight of the decade, a bite was not among the possibilities for the defining attack.
The excitement that will undoubtedly surround Joshua-klitschko II, should it happen, is unlikely to match what preceded Holyfield-tyson II. Everyone was clamouring to watch it. And now, looking back on that return, it’s hard to believe what actually transpired, and that boxing managed to recover from it.
In this week’s issue we remember the Bite Fight and the subsequent Las Vegas riots with eyewitnesses and Holyfield himself, who offers some fascinating insight into what on earth possessed his rival to attack him in such a savage way. More interesting, perhaps, is the warmth that Holyfield now feels for Tyson. He’s not the only one, either.
Today, Tyson is something of a god among boxing fans, and will almost certainly be remembered far more fondly than the comparatively saintly Klitschko. To those fans, Tyson will always be a hero and Klitschko – despite ruling for over a decade with good manners – will not. Notoriety has a lot to answer for. It’s not just that bite which formed Tyson’s legend, of course. He blazed onto the scene in 1985-6 and breathed new life into the heavyweight division with scintillating ruthlessness. He smashed through the likes of Trevor Berbick, Pinklon Thomas, Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks, while barely breaking sweat – all before he reached the age of 23. His reign lasted a little over three years, but he never once scored a come-from-behind victory or proved he could handle the kind of adversity that legends of a similar standing can boast. Despite being found guilty of rape after losing his heavyweight titles, the boxing world embraced his return like South Africa greeted Nelson Mandela’s release.
The supernova would never again be the force of old but Tyson, like no fighter before or since, had a hold on the public, and boxing – which has always been too lenient with its biggest villains – allowed him to get away with anything and everything. Following the Holyfield debacle, he failed drug tests, he tried to break an opponent’s arm, he went beserk in a Scottish ring (hammering Lou Savarese in 30 seconds before attacking referee John Coyle), and subsequently plunged his teeth into new king Lennox Lewis at a press conference that culminated with Tyson holding his crotch while threatening the media.
Today, Tyson is alive and well, and makes a living from a stage show that makes fun of his biggest crimes. His supporters look back on his career with wonder, bemoan the state of the division in 2017, and wish for a ruler like “Iron” Mike. A heavyweight who once used his teeth to permanently scar a rival.
Just picture the scene.