Mike Tyson To Bite Off A New Gig: Presenting Evander Holyfield’s Induction Into Nevada Boxing Hall Of Fame


Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield will forever be tied together in sports history by an ear. Or at least what is left of an ear after Tyson chomped a piece out of Evander Holyfield’s ear during a fight between the two pugilists in 1997. And now, Mike Tyson will be presenting Holyfield into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame on August 9th.

That fateful fight–a rematch bout between the two heavyweights–ended once Tyson took a couple of bites out of Holyfield’s ear, taking the upper part of the ear completely off with the second munch. The result led to Tyson’s disqualification and effectively ended his championship boxing career.

Since then, Holyfield and Tyson have become friends, and Mike Tyson has since gone on to a career in public speaking and acting, with an award-winning one-man show directed by Spike Lee and roles in The Hangover and other projects.

Holyfield continued to box, but never again achieved the success he had in the early 1990s. In recent years, both Tyson and Holyfield have appeared together publicly and have even made jokes about the ear-masticating end to the fight.

Mike Tyson will be at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony to give Holyfield a trophy celebrating his induction. According to a report on ESPN, Tyson called the opportunity an “honor and high privilege.”

Rich Marotta, the president of the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame, told ESPN that he thought Tyson presenting Holyfield will be beneficial to both men and to the sport itself.

“This is the kind of thing we showed is possible in boxing last year at our inaugural induction ceremony — former and even current rivals coming together under the same roof to celebrate boxing. Everyone checks those rivalries at the door. Tyson presenting Holyfield is sheer magic.”

Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield reunite in Las Vegas

Holyfield has responded to the peculiar choice to honor him with a positive nature. “That’s great,” he told ESPN.

Evander Holyfield originally beat Mike Tyson by TKO in a 1996 fight, and the rematch bout in 1997 was billed to be one of the greatest matches ever until Tyson decided he needed a third-round snack.

Mike Tyson was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame during the inaugural ceremony 2013. Holyfield will be inducted as a non-resident of Nevada, along with George Foreman and Roberto Duran.

According to ESPN, the other inductees this year include Sonny Liston and Cornelius Boza Edwards (Nevada-resident boxers category), Jack Dempsey and Archie Moore (pioneers), Joe Louis (adoptive Nevada resident), trainer Miguel Diaz (non-boxers), Richard Steele and Kenny Bayless (officials), Col. Bob Sheridan and Kevin Iole (media), Bruce Trampler (promotions), Chuck Minker and Luther Mack (executives), and Clifford Perlman and Steve Wynn (special contributors).

Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield will once again come face-to-face or mouth-to-ear in Las Vegas on Friday, August 9th.

[image Via coolspotters.com and actionbored.de]

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