Tyson states why he bit Holyfield's ear!

He also said he was butting him

 

Tyson also mentioned the headbutts are what made him frustrated. Evander more than proved in future fights he was using the headbutt as a major weapon.

 

I think a younger Tyson just fouled for fun, rather than "I'm losing so I'll resort to fouling", although there were very few fights he was behind in anyway. It was like he enjoyed saying "**** you, take this punch with you" by throwing a punch after the bell.

I think Tyson trying to twist Botha's arm was more in retaliation for Botha's holding. It was at the end of the 1st round, it wasn't at a point where Botha was doing well. Tyson probably won the 1st but lost 2 through 4.

 

Tyson says a lot of different things, often conflicting, you can basically make what you want out of his quotes since they're all over the place.

I've always felt his biting was caused by a combination of factors which I've already stated above.

 

There is truth in this.

 

Agreed.

 

With the Botha fight is exactly the example of after the Holyfield fights that Tyson has become way more of a dirty fighter when things don't go his way.

 

holyfield was butting him and always grappling with his arm.

dirty tactics both.

tyson for me has always been a clean fighter. no dirty tricks ever, he wanted to hurt you true. but through legal means. he just snapped i guess, just like most of us, one time or another a limit will be breached.

 

Tyson always committed his share of illegal tactics, well before he fought Holyfield.

 

i can't seem to recall these despite the fact that i followed his career.

spinks, razor ruddock, douglas, bruno, seldon. what dirty tactics are you saying bro?

 

Tyson liked to hit guys after the bell, throw elbows/forearms, and also hit guys when they were down.

Early in his career, against Halpin I think, he hit him while his ass was on the canvas. He hit Ferguson after the bell. He hit Biggs with a real blatant elbow right before knocking him out, and also hit him with a pretty obvious shot on the break when the ref was trying to separate them a round or two earlier. He forearmed Spinks about half a minute in when Spinks tried to clinch. He hit Bruno when he was down very early in their first fight and also threw some elbows and forearms in that round (I don't blame him at all given Bruno's dangerously dirty tactics). He hit Bruno after the bell later on in that fight, and elbowed him about half a minute before stopping him. He elbowed him right before stopping him in the rematch as well. He used his head in the first round against Ruddock (he was not nearly as skilled at it as Evander was) and hit him after the bell. He hit Ruddock after the bell numerous times in the rematch, and hit him low numerous times as well, although I thought a couple were exaggerated by the commentators and one of the point deductions unwarranted as Ruddock had a high guard, and Ruddock was pulling Mike's head down on a couple of the low blows.

Tyson always had his share of dirty tactics. I don't really think that much of illegal tactics in the ring unless it's real extreme. Most fighters commit them, I don't have anything against usual retaliation, but Tyson took it too far with the bites and arm-twisting.

Actually I remember Holyfield himself admitting to biting someone in the amateurs.

 

fair points probably but is better imprinted in my mind is the total domination of tyson in his fights before his losses. and i don't recall tyson resorting to this tactics to win a fight.

heck, i still vividly remember tyson landing a punch on razor which nearly ripped off razor jaw. :rofl

 

I watch the 2nd Ruddock fight quite a bit, I thought it was a pretty good fight. Ruddock's jaw and whole face were disgusting by the time the fight ended, broken jaw, badly swollen eye, etc...

The beating Ruddock took was horrible, and you can't even see the damage done to his body. Tyson killed his body, too. There was one sequence in the 10th round where Tyson lands two left hooks to the body and then you just see Ruddock with what the commentator described as "a mask of pain".