‘Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield are best friends’

Mike Tyson. Pic/AFP

Former world heavyweight champ Mike Tyson was known for his lightning quick punches that knocked out opponents inside the first 120 seconds of a bout. However, his infamous Bite Fight - when he bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear in the WBA Heavyweight Championship battle on June 28, 1997 - somehow overshadows it all. Reams of newsprint have been spent describing their rivalry and animosity. However, at the recent WBC convention in Uzbekistan, India's Neeraj Goyat was pleasantly surprised to see that both Tyson and Holyfield are best of friends. "That Bite Fight was historic because it highlighted the gore in boxing. It seemed like Tyson and Holyfield would have killed each other and the global audience lapped it all up then. But they are best friends now. Holyfield told me that was purely professional rivalry and nothing else. ‘Mike bit my ear, but that happens in boxing. It shows how intensely we competed. He's a cool guy off the ring and we're great pals,' Holyfield said," revealed Goyat. Tyson is a hero to Goyat, so meeting him was extra-special. "I grew up watching videos of Tyson and tried my best to mimic his upper body movements during my fights. I succeeded quite a bit too. Tyson is my hero and I like the way he does some cameo roles in Hollywood movies nowadays. I told him that I've also acted a bit in Bollywood movies [essayed roles of a boxer in Anurag Kashyap's Mukkabaz and Farhan Akhtar's Toofan]. Tyson was impressed to hear this. It's amazing how humble both these great champions are," concluded Goyat.

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