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Boxing legend Mike Tyson didn’t bite an ear during his fight with YouTuber Jake Paul on November 15, but he did bite his gloves.
In a video interview excerpt posted on X, Tyson explained why.
“The broadcast team was debating what you were doing with your glove. Was it a mouthpiece issue or were you just biting on your glove? What was that? Could you tell us?” the interviewer, sports journalist Ariel Helwani,asks in the video.
“I have a habit of biting my gloves when I fight, yes,” Tyson said.
“Why do you do that?” the broadcast asked. “I have a biting fixation,” Tyson responded, to which Helwani said, “I’ve heard about that I don’t want to know more.”
Photos also circulated on X showing Tyson biting his glove. By unanimous decision of the judges, Tyson, 58, lost a Netflix-streamed bout to 27-year-old YouTuber turned professional fighter Jake Paul. The fight sparked a round of controversy on social media, with some fans declaring the fight boring or urging Paul to fight someone his own age.
USA Today reported that Tyson had a “tendency to bite his glove during the fight.”
“I literally laughed out loud!” wrote one fan on X after Tyson’s comments about biting his gloves. Another fan on X called Tyson’s response “Epic.”
Mike Tyson Was Once Famously Disqualified for Biting His Opponent’s Ear
Esther Lin / Most Valuable PromotionsJake Paul vs Mike Tyson Weigh-ins
According to Deadline, Tyson was disqualified in 1997 when he bit Evander Holyfield’s ear during a world title fight.
Tyson “entered the bout aiming to avenge his loss to Holyfield in their first go-round,” but then bit Holyfield’s ear, Sporting News reported.
Video of the ear biting incident is still available on YouTube. Holyfield jumped in pain and clutched his ear after the incident.
According to The Sporting News, Tyson managed to bite his opponent’s ear a second time before the referee disqualified him. Tyson ended up being fined $3 million for the bite, and his license to box was revoked, The Sporting News reported.
Many Fans Were Unhappy With the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul Fight
Getty(L-R) Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight.
Some fans brought up the Holyfield incident after the Paul fight. “Bro reminiscing about Holyfield ear🤣🤣” wrote one person on X.
“Mike Tyson bit his gloves more times in the fight than he threw punches. Tyson appeared to be in visible pain, as he moved around the ring. 2 potential other explanations…” a man wrote on X. “It should be noted that Mike Tyson has historically bitten on his gloves during fights, we saw this against Kevin McBridge etc. Although not quite to the degree & frequency, we saw this evening.”
USA Today reported that Tyson bit his gloves during his 2020 exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. “This could be a maneuver Tyson does to keep his mouthguard tight,” USA Today reported.
“This was a show. Just to inject some excitement into the sport…say good bye to a legend. Nothing more,” a fan wrote on X.
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Mike Tyson Explains Why He Bit His Gloves During Netflix Fight