Defending Tyson - Kathertine Dunn

An article in Tyson's defence over the ear biting incident that i first came across when reading Tyson: A Mike Tyson Reader By Daniel O'Connor and George Plimpton.

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The Mouthpiece Myths
Much has been made of Tyson coming out of his corner for the third round without his mouthpiece. Referee Mills Lane noticed it immediately and sent him back for it. Trainer Richie Giachetti was standing on the ring apron with the mouthpiece in his hand and slipped it in. The critics
like to claim this as a sign that the bites were premeditated, that Tyson intended to come out without his mouthpiece so he could bite freely.
This doesn't make sense. The fighter doesn't control the mouthpiece between rounds, the cornerman does. These PPV shows have microphones and cameras in the corners so there should be clear evidence if Tyson refused the mouthpiece. Certainly he and Giachetti could have cooked up a scheme days in advance--"when I tip you the wink, don't give me the mouthpiece..." But it's a big gamble to bet you can get in a bite before your unprotected jaw gets shattered by one of the best heavyweights in the world. And any competent referee will catch you before the first punch is thrown, as Mills Lane did. Nah. Far more likely that Rich Giachetti was rattled and incompetent. In every other case where a boxer comes out without his mouthpiece, the corner man goofed.
Once his mouthpiece was in, Tyson attacked in his old fast hooking fashion, looking for openings for a massive right hand. Holy covered to weather the storm and struggled to stay in the game, and get inside again with his head. A Tyson right to the body followed by a crunching left to the chin had Holy hurt and buckling when, in the split second before the first bite, Holy slammed the right side of his head against the cut on Tyson's eye. This placed Holy's ear just below Tyson's mouth and the
video-tape clearly shows Tyson reacting to the pain of the butt and then instantly chomping on that ear.
Holyfield claimed, after the bout, that Tyson spit his mouthpiece out first and then bit. That is the scenario used by all the critics to prove calculated premeditation. In fact, the video clearly shows Tyson's mouthpiece was still in place when he bit. This style of mouthpiece bonds with the upper teeth and allows the lower jaw to open. Only after Holyfield pulled away from him did Tyson bend over and spit the mouthpiece out, along with the chunk of Holy's right ear. The black mouthpiece and its trajectory are apparent on the video tape. Mills Lane, stepping in, bends immediately to retrieve the mouthpiece. Holyfield swirls stamping in pain, then turns his back and walks away. Tyson rushes and pushes at his back with both gloves. Holyfield bounces against the ropes.
Then there's a break in the action. Mills Lane first declares Tyson disqualified for biting, then changes his mind when the Nevada Commission doctor, Flip Homansky, says Holyfield can continue. Lane deducts two points from Tyson, one for the bite, one for the shove.
The fight resumes, Tyson has Holyfield hurt again, Holyfield's head swings into his face again and Tyson bites again. The left ear this time. His mouthpiece is still in. They continue fighting to the bell. Tyson walks to his corner with the mouthpiece in his mouth.
Tyson dominated this round on the judges score cards but the docked points eliminate the gain. Between rounds Mills Lane stops the fight, disqualifying Tyson for the second bite.
Tyson had turned the momentum of the fight and had Holyfield in trouble when the first bite occurred. If there had been a fourth round, Holyfield might have been stopped. Claiming that Tyson was looking for a D.Q. escape from humiliation doesn't compute.
Maybe Tyson didn't believe the ref would stop a mega-million dollar fight on the grounds of the fouls he committed, two bites and a shove. The cut made him vulnerable. He said he had to retaliate to protect himself. He couldn't butt in return because he would have been the more damaged party. Low blows weren't really an option--he's not adept at throwing them and his style doesn't lend itself to them. We think the bites were impulsive self-defense. Biting is against the rules. He shouldn't have
done it. But obviously he couldn't rely on Mills Lane to prevent Holyfield from butting.

The Neutral Referee

Tyson's idiot handlers, John Horne and Rory Holloway, made a monumental mistake before thetyson-thumb.gif (4926 bytes) fight when they objected to the assigned referee, Mitch Halpern, and allowed Mills Lane, the former District Attorney, now Washoe County District Judge, to fill in. (Mills Lane has since retired from the ring and dedicates his time to a 'People's Court" style TV show.) Lane has been a personal friend of Holyfields' for years. According to Holy's trainer, Tommy Brooks, "The night Holyfield lost to Riddick Bowe, Mills Lane cried tears." Lane has also been quoted long before this bout, saying that Tyson is a vicious criminal who should never be allowed to box. It's not surprising that Lane failed to notice the sustained strategy of fouls that the Holy one was using.

The blindness of the ringside commentators and the hundreds of reporters in the arena is more disappointing. They bought all the years of hype from both sides. Holyfield, the Christian Warrior, is good and everything he does is saintly. One irate fan told us, "It's not so much the bite as who he bit!" Tyson, the street thug, is bad. They've been wanting to punish him for a long time. Apparently there is nothing on the planet more terrifying and evil than a bad black man.

The Spin Doctors

Tyson faced a press conference alone the Monday after the fight and read a complete apology. He said he was wrong to bite. He said he would accept without contest whatever punishment the Commission handed out. He asked not to be suspended for life. He didn't blame Holyfield or Mills
Lane or anyone else. He took total responsibility for his actions. Many reporters dismissed the apology claiming it was "spin doctors" at work. No. "Spin" is when you try to pin the rap on somebody else. "But is he sincere?" they keep asking. Please. Obviously Tyson is deeply sorry.
Nobody goes looking for this kind of **** storm. Did anybody ask if Bill Clinton was "sincere" when he apologized to the victims of the Tuskeegee Experiment?

HINKY ON BITES
Biting is against the rules but rules don't exist unless there is some common inclination to act the opposite way. Biting is far from "abnormal" behavior, and this is not the first time fang met flesh in a boxing ring.

A favorite tale of Portland fight manager Mike "Motormouth" Morton involves his instructions to Andy "The Scapoose Express" Kendall the night holyfield-thumb.gif (7459 bytes)before Kendall fought Dick Tiger in Madison Square Garden back in the 1960's. "Andy," Morton advised,"When the bell rings for the first round
go out and hit him hard in the balls. The ref will take a point away. When the bell rings for the second round, rush out and bite him hard on the ear. The ref will take another point away. So you've lost two rounds, but you've got eight more rounds to work and your opponent is damaged." Kendall failed to follow this canny strategy and lost a ten round decision to the master technician, Tiger.

Others have not been so persnickety. Heavyweight Andrew Golota bit Samson Po'hua on national TV two years ago and it raised a few eyebrows but not a ruckus. In fact Golota went on to win the bout with a fifth round TKO. Bobby Czyz declares he has been bitten. Jimmy Ellis has
confessed to biting. No suspensions or fines resulted. Evander "Holy" Holyfield himself has admitted biting "Jakey" Winters while Winters was beating him in an amateur match when he was 17. Winters says Holy drew blood. Holy points out that he bit the shoulder, not the ears, but amateur helmets cover the ears so there's no virtue in that.

Naming no names, we've seen boxer bites even in the Pacific Northwest. One dangerous ex-middleweight of our acquaintance reminisces fondly on the psychological terrorism of a well timed bite, and boasts of following up by blowing his nose on the wound. Boxing is not ping-pong.

Bites also occur in other sports. High school and college wrestlers have been known to take a nip. Tree Rollins bit Danny Ainge, and the NBA fined Rollins $5,000 and suspended him for two games. Not exactly the thirty million dollars and lifetime exile that many demand for Tyson.

Fight folk and experienced fans know all this but still, reflexively, declare themselves "shocked and appalled" in the face of the usual screams to ban the always maligned sport. No one calls for basketball to be banned when Dennis Rodman headbutts a referee or kicks a photographer. There is no roar to abolish the Catholic Church when priests molest choir boys. But boxing is different. And Mike Tyson is America's bogey man.


Thoughts?

 

Interesting view, there are some fair points in the article tho. Not that i am excusing what Tyson did.

 

The reason i picked this one out is because it defended someone who attacked and discredited more than he is defended.

I don't think he bit because he fault he was going to lose again, he was obviously very frustrated. I mean its happened to most of us in sports you get fouled badly and you go for the person hard in the next challenge..not to get sent off or disqualified but just because at that moment your judgement is clouded and all you want to do is get that person back.

 

And in no way am i saying what Tyson did was right or excusable. Just it is not the actions of an animal or a brute but a troubled and extremley frustrated person not one looking for a way out.

Thanks for the tips! Obviously i dont take this article as the soul argument for what happend, but those are great questions for anylysing any article!.

But Tysons frame of mind imo at that time was not thinking rationally, you can tell from his reactions that it was anger. He doesnt want the fight to be stopped, he even made a poor attempt to say it was a bite that caused the bleeding to which Lane replies "BULL****". His judgement at that time was clouded by rage.