Evander Holyfield’s gloves from infamous Mike Tyson bite fight are currently up for auction

Twenty-five years have come and gone since Mike Tyson chowed down on Evander Holyfield’s ear, a moment since woven into the tapestry of modern sporting memories. 

Now, the public have the opportunity to claim a piece of history in the form of Holyfield’s gloves worn during the rematch win at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. 

The red Everlast gloves have ‘Holyfield #1’ written on the cuff on both gloves and seem to look light worn, reflective on the three round bout. 

This time, the gloves are not being sold by Holyfield. They have gone to auction once before in which Holyfield consigned the famous gloves. 

At the time of writing, there are 13 days left in the auction held by Lelands. 

Since opening, there have been five bids, which started at $10,000 and has now risen to $12,155.

Holyfield and Tyson’s rematch for the WBA Heavyweight Title occurred on June 28, 1997 — seven months after the former won their first match by TKO. 

Tyson and Holyfield were at odds for each other following the fight but have since rekindled

During the sequel, Holyfield was looking the more dominant force once again. 

Resultantly, or so it seemed, Tyson became frustrated and bit a chunk off Holyfield’s ear in the third round.

Points were taken from Iron Mike before he went again, biting Holyfield’s opposing ear, earning him disqualification from referee Mills Lane.

Their rematch was eventually called off after Iron Mike (bottom L) bit the ear of Holyfield (R)

Following the incident, Tyson had his boxing license revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission — which was reinstated 15 months later — and fined $3 million. 

Tyson has clarified his version of events surrounding perhaps the most remembered moment of his career since. 

The now popular cult figure said on his podcast Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson that he grew incensed as Holyfield was allegedly ‘headbutting the s*** out of me’ and ‘ringing my f****** bell.’

‘Last I remember, I said ‘this motherf***** gonna die.’ And it was on.

‘I’d have bit his nose, his lip, anything. I’d have bit anything, I’d have bit his balls, his d***, anything.’

Evander Holyfield caused an upset by beating Mike Tyson in their first heavyweight showdown

Holyfield admitted he wanted to give Tyson some of his own medicine before some near, and divine, council ensured he refrained from retaliation.   

‘I just remember how mad I was and how upset I was,’ Holyfield told Chris Mannix in 2020.

‘I realized that I was gonna bite him back. But [at] the point of me knowing that I was gonna bite him back, my corner guy named Tim Hallmark…he told me to keep my mind on the Lord.

Holyfield reacts to Tyson biting his ear during the third round of their heavyweight title fight

‘And so, I told my trainer, Tim Hallmark, to remind me if that do happen, and he kept calling and telling me, “keep your mind on the Lord.”

‘I didn’t wanna keep my mind on the Lord. I wanted to bite him back. Then all of a sudden it came across my mind what my grandmama said – they always catch the person who do it the second time. 

‘So, I decided not to bite him back. And he bit me again. Yeah, he bit me again. Then, you know, Mills Lane, he stopped the fight and all that