[Sportscolumn is running down the ten most gruesome sports injuries. Here’s #4]
Mike Tyson made was known for his brutal style and vicious power that made first round knockouts commonplace at one of his bouts. Iron Mike could handle his business with anyone who wanted to step inside the ropes with him, which is what made the infamous ear chomp of Evander Holyfield so bizarre. But hey, that’s what made Mike, Mike. He might knock your lights out or he might bite your ear off, nobody knew what to expect.
However, it’s safe to say that nobody expected Tyson to pull out his best Hannibal impersonation on June 28, 1997 when he took on Holyfield in front of a sold out crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. But once it happened, those who weren’t either totally shocked or disgusted, began to riot and the madness spilled out of the arena and into the Vegas streets. Holyfield wasn’t seriously injured but his ears will never look the same after losing a giant chunk of flesh to Tyson’s choppers.
Tyson was suspended from boxing for the biting incident, but that didn’t stop the Tyson roller coaster from operating. But narrowing down Tyson’s whacky behavior would require an entire Top 10 list of its very own.