“Tyson Fought Somebody Who…”: After More Than 2 Decades, Michael Jai White Reveals the “Obstacle” Mike Tyson Had to Overcome for His First Fight Against Evander Holyfield

Boxing legend Mike Tyson has come across a number of obstacles in his long career. According to MMA practitioner and Hollywood actor Michael Jai White, Tyson has faced psychological obstacles in some of his matches against opponents who are close to him. According to Jai White, ‘Iron Mike’ often had to fight against boxers who were more like brothers to him. This has often put him in a tough spot. Tyson is widely regarded as one of the most exceptional heavyweight boxers in history. From 1987 to 1990, he held the prestigious distinction of being the undisputed world heavyweight champion.

Demonstrating his immense power, Tyson achieved an astounding streak of winning his first 19 professional fights by knockout, with 12 of those victories occurring in the opening round. Making history at the age of 20 years, Tyson remains the youngest boxer to ever capture a heavyweight title. Tyson has indeed had a glorious career. However, he often had to go through some difficult bouts as well. One such tough battle for Tyson was against Evander Holyfield.

Michael Jai White talks about the psychological obstacle faced by Mike Tyson during his first fight against Evander Holyfield

Tyson and Holyfield engaged in two highly notable bouts in 1996 and 1997. The second encounter between the two is famously known as ‘The Bite Fight’ due to Tyson inflicting a gruesome act. During the match, Tyson bit off a portion of Holyfield’s ear and proceeded to spit it out. Despite the severity of the incident, the referee opted not to halt the fight. Shockingly, a few minutes later, Tyson bit his opponent once again, further adding to the controversial nature of the event.

However, According to Jai White, the first bout was a difficult one for Tyson. In an interview with djvlad, he said, “I think both fights were psychological for this is my opinion I believe Mike Tyson fought somebody who has always been like a big brother to him and psychologically that was an obstacle… I’m talking about Mike Tyson and Holyfield.” After listening to Jai White, the interviewer was confused and asked, “So who is the big brother?” As an answer to his question, the ‘Falcon Rising’ actor replied, “Holyfield… That’s very well documented. Holyfield was in a different weight category. He was cruiserweight. They had a very strong relationship.” 

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Michael Jai White acted as Mike Tyson in the 1995 film ‘Tyson’. The movie told the story of the boxing legend. The story covered the journey of Tyson from 12 years old to becoming the world heavyweight champion. Hence, Jai White is someone who has taken a closer look at ‘Iron Mike’s life, which makes him the right person to talk about ‘Iron Mike’s obstacles.

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