Mike ‘Ear Bite’ Tyson To Present Hall Of Fame Award To Evander Holyfield

Mike Tyson will present an award to long-time rival Evander Holyfield in an upcoming event in Las Vegas. According to Yahoo Sports, Mike Tyson will present Evander Holyfield with a trophy during the Nevada Boxing Hall Of Fame induction ceremony on August 9, the Inquisitrreported earlier. The Mike Tyson Las Vegas event is significant, not only because Evander Holyfield will be inducted into the Hall Of Fame, but because the event marks the first time that Mike Tyson will present the aging professional boxer with an award. Considering the pair’s history, the award presentation will be a widely watched event.

Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield made news headlines in 1997, when Brooklyn native Tyson bit off Evander Holyfield’s ear during a fight. The ear-biting incident was televised all over the world. The event was so horrifying and shocking that Mike Tyson was moved from the Hollywood Wax Museum’s Sports Hall Of Fame to the Chamber Of Horrors right next to the infamous Dr. Hannibal Lecter, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The “undisputed heavy weight champion of the world” first made headlines on November, 22, 1986, when he became known as the youngest heavy weight champion of all time. That’s when he knocked out champion Trevor Berbick 5 minutes into the fight.

After Trevor Berbick fight, Mike Tyson became known as the guy who will knock you out in “five.” Viewers and fans came to expect that five minute knock out punch with every game. Some of Mike Tyson’s notable boxing fights include: Buster Douglas, Riddick Bowe, and Jesse Ferguson.

Tyson’s legacy was marred when it came to light that he had been abusive to wife Robin Givens. Givens told her story in an exclusive interview with 20/20‘s Barbara Walters about Tyson’s physical abuse and bipolar disorder, known as manic depression in the 1980s.

Mike Tyson made headlines again in 1991, after he was accused of raping an 18-year-old girl, a crime for which he was convicted in 1992. That same year, two 7-year-old boys blamed the Mike Tyson trial for enticing them to rape a 6-year-old first-grade girl. Tyson reportedly used the time in prison to reflect on his life, despite the hundreds of letters and nude photos he received from women all around the world.

In recent years, Mike Tyson has regained the respect of many Americans and is said to be honored and privileged to present the award to Evander Holyfield who happens to think it’s “great.” Tyson and Holyfield have buried the hatchet since the scandal, and have since appeared in various television interviews and a commercial spoofing the incident.

Many fans are happy to see that Tyson and Holyfield have put the past behind them, and that Mike Tyson will be presenting Holyfield with the 2014 award. One fan stated: “I guess time heals all ears.”