Headbutt Holyfield

Interestingly Holyfield once bit an opponent,I think it might have been when he was an amateur.

 

I agree. I've never felt like "he wanted a way out" like many people try to say. Teddy Atlas says this, and also claims to have "predicted" it--that Tyson wanted a way out even before the fight began. I say bull****. Tyson came into that fight in the best shape he had been in, in a long time. He was like 217-218 I think, which is his best weight. Also, in the third round, Tyson looked great--he was winning that round. Why would he try to escape in a round he was winning? He was genuinely and seriously frustrated by the headbutting, nothing more, nothing less. By no means am I condoning the ear biting though.

 

There is no justification for ear biting. I think everyone can conclude that Holy turned out to be a cheater with his head, but Tyson used to elbow the hell out of guys in his prime. They all had some sort of cheating tactic, just Tyson was not a prepared fighter when he fought Holyfield. The old Tyson knew every trick in the book and would have retaliated to stay in the fight no retaliate to get DQ'd.

 

I have a feeling that's just because Tyson is not as "skilled" at head-butting as Holyfield was.

Tyson's a boxing historian and loved many fighters who were known for being very dirty. I don't think Tyson would have a problem using his head as a weapon if he were effective at it like the *******-maker was.

 

Armstrong and Fraizer both came in with their heads like that. It's the duty of the referee to control the fighters.

 

no need to make excuses for holyfield....he has head-butted many guys and everyone from tyson to lewis to ruiz, to dokes, to bean etc etc has companied about his headbutts

yet the refs never take points off him even though he has a huge history of doing it.

point is he did head butt, tyson 5 times and the ref did nothing.
so to all those people defending holyfield....what i guess holyfield should be rewarded in your mind by fighting a damaged oppentent thanks to his famous head butts...

point is holyfield started something he could not finish, and when tyson bite him, holyfield,
welll to put it in a way....ran away like a *****....don't headbutt someone 5 times and be shocked at anything that comes back at you...


i am tyson and holyfield fan....but i think it is really stupid that with such a history of headbutts, the refs always turn a blind eye to his dirty tatics....

but if you do anything back to him, your the devil

 

i did feel for Mike, i was at both fights and especially for the second one i was in camp with a sparring patner, but you have to be a pro............ you are in a fight and sometimes its kill or be killed, and Evander had the better way of coping, Mike manifested it in a more extreme fashion............ Mike did it all wrong and wore his heart on his sleve , like he often does in life..

I love Mike .. he is still an absoultely amazing yet complex man..

 

The first fight he was pretty ****ing attrocious too. Some call it gamesmanship, I call it unsporting. Tyson was very gracious in defeat too, which counts a lot towards the amount of respect I have for him.

 

Very well stated.

 

There are two ways to look at it.

Yes it is unsporting behaviour but on the other hand intentional fouls are a part of the game that you have have to be able to deal with to be a complete profesional fighter.

You would not have any future as a profesional fighter in the 20s or 40s if you couldnt handel being fouled psychologicaly, because many referres simply ignored it.

 

That's very true. The sport has become a lot more strict since then.

 

question still remains...why do referrers look the other way when holyfield does these things???

a guy with history should be watched carefully instead, the refs always look the other way

has to be a reason,

 

In Henry Armstrongs day they would just have said:

If you both want to do it this way boys then just get on with it.

 

Here's a funny story that Fritzie Zivic told about his fight against Armstrong:

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135345/index.htm

:good