Tyson and Holyfield III?
Photo provided by Harpo Inc.
Mike Tyson was on Oprah the other day, so I had to watch. I think most sports fans, close to my age, probably have the same strong feelings that I have about Tyson. There was a time during his peak, when I believed that no one on earth could beat Mike Tyson. It was amazing to watch him turn his hips and body into a power factory and channel all of that energy into his devastating, fight ending, right hook, (or left for that matter). My friends and I used to argue about how many millions of dollars it would take, for us to take just one punch from Mike Tyson.
Another great fighter, Evander Holyfield, was coming along at the same time and it appeared the two were on a collision course. Then came Buster Douglas, Robin Givens, Mike’s posse, the Rape conviction, and it appeared this fight would never happen. They did eventually fight a couple of times, but both fighters were well past their prime and the fights were disappointing, unless you’re into ear biting.
So anyway, Tyson was on Oprah, spilling it all. There’s a documentary out about him that is supposedly great, but he’s changed many of his opinions since then. One of the topics Tyson and Oprah spoke about was biting Holyfield’s ears. According to Tyson, he never legitimately apologized, and there was still tension between the two greats. Either Evander was watching, or his people told him about Tyson’s comments, and he called Oprah and said he wanted to come on with Tyson.
A few days later it was surreal to see Tyson and Holyfield, sitting next to each other on the same stage, speaking semi-amicably. You could tell there was still some tension between them, but overall it was a really nice moment. I wish them both nothing but the best, and thank them for all the entertainment they provided us. To me, boxing has really gone down hill since they left the scene. I have to admit though, seeing those two sitting together, I kept thinking, maybe, just one more time. You could see it in their eyes, they were thinking the same thing.
the attachments to this post:
holytyson
