From biting off Evander Holyfield's ear to punching a fellow flight passenger - top controversies of Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson is arguably one of the most famous boxers of all time. The punches the 58-year-old threw in the boxing ring still reverberate across arenas nearly 20 years after Tyson hung up his gloves.??
But it is not just the punches that the face-tattooed boxer is known for. Iron Mike, as he is called, is as famous¡ªor infamous¡ªfor his actions outside the ring, which range from controversial to outright criminal.??
Biting off Holyfield's ear
In 1997, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield faced off for the second time in as many years in a match that went on to become infamous as The Bite Fight. Tyson was defending his WBA Heavyweight Championship against Holyfield when Iron Mike, who was trailing behind, first bit the challenger¡¯s ear. However, he got away unpunished, and in round three bit off Holyfield¡¯s left ear, forcing the referee to disqualify Tyson.??
Biting Lennox Lewies's leg
This was not the only time Tyson¡¯s tooth did the talking and not his gloves. In 2002, Tyson was set to face Lennox Lewis, but things turned ugly during a pre-fight press conference. The spat turned into a brawl, and Tyson bit Lewis¡¯s leg.??
'Want to kill Lennox Lewis'
The two had a long history, and during the build-up to their 2002 fight, Tyson declared that his goal was not only to fight professionally ¡°but to kill Lewis.¡±??
Responding to road rage with punches?
In 1998, Tyson was sentenced to nine months in jail after he put his boxing skills to use in a road rage incident. Tyson was involved in a traffic accident in Maryland, and during the altercation that followed, the boxer punched and kicked two men using ¡°the hands and feet of a professional fighter.¡±??
Punching the pigeon thief
For a man like Tyson, it is unimaginable that he has a deep love for pigeons. In fact, Tyson loves pigeons so much that his first-ever street fight was against a man who stole his pigeons.??
Wanting to fight a gorilla?
In the 1980s, during a visit to the New York zoo, Tyson offered a zookeeper $10,000 to fight a silverback gorilla that was bullying the other gorillas. Thankfully, the zookeeper declined the offer, and the fight never took place.??
Punching an annoying flight passenger?
In 2022, Melvin Townsend was on a JetBlue flight from San Francisco when he found that Tyson was one of his co-passengers. Townsend, who was intoxicated, allegedly provoked Tyson, resulting in the boxer returning the favour the best way he knows¡ªby throwing punches. Despite the shocking nature of the assault, which was caught on camera, Tyson did not face charges as a court ruled that he was provoked by Townsend.??
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