April 1997 - De La Hoya now had only one more fighter to defeat to be
the undisputed best fighter pound-for-pound in the world. That man was
Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whittaker, an Olympic gold-medal winner in 1984 and
a professional champion in four different weight classes. The two
warriors met in April 1997 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Boxing Roundup: Holyfield hopes
Tyson is punished
Evander Holyfield said he backed the Nevada State Athletic Commission's
move Tuesday to keep Mike Tyson under suspension and hoped the
punishment Tyson ultimately receives would be good for boxing. "I think
they handled it properly by taking action against Mike because he's the
one that committed the foul," Holyfield said in an interview on the
MSNBC cable television network. "The commission should do the proper
thing to keep other boxers from doing that. The word will be passed down
that your behavior is a big part of sports."
Holyfield needed 15 stitches to close the wound in his right ear and
will require plastic surgery. Holyfield said he had accepted Tyson's
public apology Monday but that Tyson's future in the sport depends on
his actions. "I do accept it," Holyfield said about Tyson's apology.
"But I truly believe that time tells everything." Holyfield
received about $30 million for the bout, thanks in part to the huge
interest in Tyson. But Holyfield said boxing would move forward with or
without Tyson.
"Boxing can survive without any individual, even myself," Holyfield
said. "He (Tyson) will have to become a better person to stay in the
game -- or the game will have to go on without him." More on
Holyfield
Holyfield said he wants to unify the heavyweight title by the first half
of next year, beginning with a November bout against Michael Moorer.
Moorer, the IBF champion, is one of only two men to beat Holyfield
during his career, winning a 12-round decision in a 1994 title bout.
Since then, the heavyweight division has splintered into three different
champions, with Holyfield holding the WBA title and Lennox Lewis gaining
the WBC belt."I'm going to fight again, probably in November," Holyfield
said. "I'd like to fight Michael Moorer first." Found the ear
Mitchell Libonati got a piece of the champ, and now he's appearing on
Letterman. Libonati, 27, is scheduled to appear on the Late Show
with David Letterman tonight. Libonati found the part of Holyfield's ear
that Tyson bit off. Libonati, an MGM Grand employee, was mopping the
ring when he found the piece, picked it up with Latex gloves, and raced
to Holyfield's locker room to return it to him. When Holyfield
received the segment of his ear, he wrapped it in the plastic glove and
put it in ice. It was lost during the ambulance ride to a hospital.Z
Pay-per-view record
The Tyson-Holyfield bout set pay-per-view records, the Showtime network
said. Preliminary numbers indicate the fight was purchased by
between 1.8 and 1.9 million people, breaking the record of 1.6 million
set by the first Tyson-Holyfield match in November. Final figures will
not be available for several days. The heavyweight title fight on
Saturday night carried an average price of $49.95, although some cable
systems charged as much as $54.95. Subscribers of Long
Island-based Cablevision paid $9.95 per round and got a bargain, charged
$29.85 when Tyson was disqualified after three rounds. The company
reported an 11-percent audience increase from the first fight. At least
two class-action lawsuits alleging breach of contract by Tyson for not
giving fans their money's worth have surfaced, one filed in Dallas,
another planning to be filed in San Francisco. The fight will be
replayed on Showtime on July 7. Detroit News wire services.
However, Ghanem said Saturday's foul for hitting after the bell wasn't
as serious as when Tyson was disqualified for biting Evander Holyfield
on both ears June 28, 1997, at the MGM. "If there was a
disqualification, it would have been a different ballgame. When he
deducted two points, that means the fight can continue. That is the
difference," Ghanem said. The 1997 disqualification led to the
commission revoking Tyson's license.
Boxing News - June 1997
WHEN they found the piece of Evander Holyfield's ear that Mike Tyson had
bitten off and spat out they carried it to his dressing room and from
there to a plastic surgeon to be sewn back on. Holyfield went to
hospital, his attacker went home in a rage. But it is Tyson who is in
greater need of treatment, writes Paul Hayward..
