Becoming Holyfield, Chapter 14"the weird part" He is referring to Tyson "He looked alot fitter than he had the last time" "his hands were moving faster than ive ever seen them" "He seemed to snap back and forth like a plucked string and his reflexes were tuned to the max" "On the other hand, I sensed that there was something tense and timid and tentative in him that i hadnt seen before" "I was forcing Mike to fight my style not his" "The third round was a different Story" "He came at me hard throwing alot of solid shots and getting out of the way of alot of mine. Using all of his speed, power and wiles and staying in control of himself, he was getting the upper hand. I had to step up my own game to meet the onslaught, but Mike was ferocious. Especially with his left." "That he had finally found his rythm made what happened next even more mysterious." Doesnt sound like the popular narrative about that fight at all and just proves how much sucess in boxing depends psychological composure and confidence
His description of the way the 3rd round was the way I saw it....I will never forget watching the fight PPV a guy stood up when Tyson bit him and said "its over Tyson can't beat him" and it hit me as good as Tyson started looking he wasn't going to win and knew it he bit his way out of a legit loss I will say that this post prime Tyson without the trainers he needed to maximize the peek a boo he wasn't capable of beating Holyfield without a KO and he hit Holy hard but Holy just kept going.......he quit , thinking he could. When a fighter doesn't believe in it he isn't winning a tough fight and Holy taking his shots took his confidence
This mythical third round from Tyson does make one chuckle, not once did he have Holyfield in any trouble whatsoever. Whatever Tyson did Holyfield came back with more. Tyson basically threw his everything in that round and didn't put a dent in Holyfield. He knew right then he was in for another hiding hence the biting. He was overmatched and found a way out.
Tyson brought his best stuff in that third round and Holyfield handled it. That's why Tyson snapped. He wasn't mentally prepared to let the thing play out to it's natural conclusion. The fear got him and he had a meltdown. He had flashbacks of the first fight probably. He threw his toys out of the pram. Biting was his way out and to prove to himself he could hurt this man in front of him. He wanted out. His behaviour after the fight ended was absolutely demented. You really have to wonder what the hell was happening inside his mind at that point. I think deep down he really admired Holyfield as a fighter. Holyfield had his number, physically and mentally.
