Mike Tyson Vs Evander Holyfield – Video Rivalry Review

Between April 1986 and June 1988, Iron Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield were making a lot of noise in boxing.

Tyson took the heavyweight division by storm, and Holyfield took the cruiserweight division by storm. Mike won all 3 major heavyweight titles of the day, and earned a valid claim as lineal world heavyweight champion. Holyfield won all 3 major cruiserweight titles of the day, also earning a valid claim as lineal world cruiserweight champion. This marked Holyfield as the first undisputed cruiserweight champion in the history of the division, and for Tyson, he had become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Leon Spinks had last held that distinction nearly 10 years earlier.

The two originally agreed to fight at some point in 1990, but those plans were derailed when Buster Douglas scored a shocking upset against Iron Mike. They were later scheduled to fight in November 1991, but that got pushed back after Tyson suffered a rib injury in training. The date tentatively got pushed back to 1992, but those plans fell apart after Tyson was sent to prison. By the time they finally did fight on November 9, 1996 – both of them were past their best fighting days from the late 80s and early 90s. Tyson was the big favorite going into their first fight when Holyfield was widely viewed as being a shot fighter. But Holyfield rose to the occasion and scored a dramatic 11th round stoppage to win in an upset. Their rematch happened the following year in June, and this time Tyson was disqualified for twice biting Holyfield’s ear.

This edition of Rummy’s Corner will provide a quick breakdown and review of the rivalry between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, from 1990 when they originally agreed to fight, through 1997 when the two had their bizarre and unusual rematch. Please watch and enjoy the video for one man’s opinion. This is Rummy’s Corner (produced and narrated by Geoffrey Ciani).