Evander Holyfield denied that he did anything wrong that would make Mike Tyson bite his ear off when they fought.
Tyson previously stated that Holyfield was headbutting him, causing the frustration that led to the most shocking incident ever to take place in a boxing ring.
However, speaking to World Boxing News in an exclusive interview, Holyfield was not having it.
Evander Holyfield had Mike Tyson’s number
“The second fight, ‘you headbutted him’ – they said. I did nothing, but somehow, I did,” Holyfield exclusively told World Boxing News. “I don’t even lean in with my head. I don’t get my weight on my front foot.
“All of this. But sometimes, when you both get ready to throw the same punches at the same time, your heads sometimes clash.
“But I’m not a guy that headbutts even though everyone said I’m a headbutter. In general, if you see the first fight, Mike clearly jumped up and headbutted me.
“That was all him, but then again, he had a lot of scar tissue on the eyes because he’s that guy who didn’t spar with headgear on.
“But I can see why because when you can’t stand with something on your head. It was the same with me. The headgear would make my heart beat fast, so it was very intense in practice.”
Are Holyfield and Tyson still friends?
Holyfield is adamant he has Mike Tyson’s number from the start, despite being the underdog when the pair finally stepped into the ring in 1996.
“When it all came down, the more complex the game, the person who knew the game tended to win. I’m one of the guys who knew how to box, but I could fight as well. So, it lined up to eventually fight against the very best.
“Other than making the Olympic team, it was beating Mike Tyson. The first fight wasn’t anything more than we fought. I was the best, and I stopped him.”
Later on, the pair met during a taping of Tyson’s podcast. Holyfield says they managed to iron out any bad blood. They also ended up filming an advert for a Tyson product.
“It was great. We talked about boxing, and Mike talks about everything,” Holyfield stated. “He asked the things that he asked. I didn’t let him pull me into things I didn’t want to talk about.
“No [animosity], we don’t have a problem, me and Mike,” he concluded.