Mike Tyson tells Jim Gray that he ‘wanted to kill’ Evander Holyfield when he bit off his ear
2 min readHall of Fame boxer Mike Tyson opened up to legendary sportscaster Jim Gray about biting off part of Evander Holyfield’s ear during their infamous 1997 bout — and said he’d do it again.
In June of 1997, Tyson squared off against Holyfield in their second boxing match for the WBA Heavyweight Championship. After Tyson sunk his teeth into Holyfield’s ear, referee Mills Lane disqualified him.
Following the fight, Gray interviewed Tyson, as well as promoter Don King, in the heat of the moment, and asked both of them why it happened.
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Gray recently published a book, “Talking to GOATs”, which highlights the biggest sports moments of his broadcasting career, and the relationships that he’s had with some of the greatest athletes of all-time. Over the weekend, Gray hosted a Fox News special called, “Talking to GOATs with Jim Gray”, and he relived that moment in a sit-down interview with Tyson.
LAS VEGAS, NV – JUNE 28: Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson fight for WBA World Heavyweight Title on June 28, 1997, at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Fight was stopped in the third round and Tyson was disqualified for biting Holyfield on both ears. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
“I hope not,” Tyson said in response to being asked if he would do it again. “I say, ‘No, never ever again.’ But I might do it again. Well if he does what he was doing to get bitten, I would bite him again. Yeah.”
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Gray asked Tyson if the fight continued, could’ve he continued, and he asked him if he bit Holyfield a second time because it was a momentary reaction to him headbutting Tyson earlier on.
“No, I bit him because I wanted to kill him,” Tyson fired back. “I was really mad about my head being bumped and everything. I really lost consciousness of the whole fight. It took me out of my fight plan and everything.”
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Tyson added: “Listen, good or bad, I’m not going to let anyone take my glory. So, I’m going to confront everything that I have to confront… Hey listen, I done it. I got to handle the responsibility of it. That was my glory. And I took responsibility for it.”
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