• Heavyweight

Furious Tyson 'wanted to kill' Holyfield

ESPN staff
October 24, 2013
Mills Lane steps in as Mike Tyson bites a chunk out of Evander Holyfield's ear © Getty Images
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Mike Tyson has revealed he "wanted to kill" Evander Holyfield during their 1997 bout after a head-butt from his opponent left him "furious".

Tyson was disqualified for biting a chunk out of Holyfield's ear during the infamous world title fight in Las Vegas, claiming he was acting in retaliation to head-butting from his fellow American.

In his autobiography Undisputed Truth, which is being serialised in Sydney's Daily Telegraph, Tyson admits he lost his composure in the ring as he was hell bent on getting revenge.

"I just wanted to kill him," Tyson wrote. "Anybody watching could see that the head butts were so overt. I was furious, I was an undisciplined soldier and I lost my composure. So I bit him in the ear.

"People were pulling me and blocking me and [Holyfield] was standing in his corner, huddled up ... I was still trying to get at him [after being disqualified]. I had 50 people on me and I was still fighting the cops."

Tyson also divulged the public outcry in response to his actions against Holyfield, stating the fallout continued at the MGM Grand long after the fight had been ended.

"Someone even threw a fish head onto my property." Tyson said. "They kept it up until some of my security guys shot some BBs in their direction.

"After a while, I smoked some weed and drank some liquor and went to sleep. Back at the MGM Grand, people were fighting one another in the casino, being sent to the hospital."

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