“Twice Bitten,” The Story Of Holyfield-Tyson II A KO Read

September 14, 2016June 11, 2013 by James Slater

Review by James Slater: New York Post writer George Willis has delivered a fine read regarding the true story regarding one of the blackest days in boxing history. Willis, having done impeccable research, has produced the definitive read on the infamous second meeting between heavyweight legends Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson.

Known universally as “The Bite Fight,” the spectacle that unfolded in Las Vegas in June of 1997 shocked everyone; fans, experts and casual viwers alike. Willis, in his addictive book, explains why.

More than just a book to cash in on the shocking behaviour of the then hugely unhinged Tyson, “Twice Bitten” also serves as a comprehensive biography of both heavyweight greats. With good coverage devoted to the formative years of both men, including when Tyson and Holyfield met for the first time, and the time the “obsession” Holyfield had of fighting Tyson first reared its head, Willis gives readers plenty of new information: such as, how a member of Team Tyson took to dying his white shorts black when no black ones were at hand, and what Holyfield trainer Don Turner feels about religion and boxing, and his take on God “picking the other guy to win.”

Mike Tyson Tour: A New Day…..And A Night To Remember

September 15, 2016April 19, 2013 by Vivek Wallace

Miami, Fl – On any given night the streets of South Beach offer every form of entertainment from sky lounges for swingers to jazz clubs with humdingers! In a city where everything under the sun has taken place in the darkness of the moonlight, recently, locals had a chance to witness one of the few things that no one there had ever quite seen. A typical South Beach night starts to buzz at about 1am. But on this particular evening, only moments after 8pm, a very festive audience fell into a deep silence.

In a suddenly dim theater, the only thing visible to the naked eye was a white silhouette gracefully crossing the stage in a somewhat poetic cadence to the crisp vocals of the legendary Nat King Cole’s intimate piano driven “Nature Boy”. Seconds later, those in attendance heard a familiar voice, yet a very unfamiliar tone. Under the spotlight at center stage like he did at age 20 when he became the youngest champion in Heavyweight history, was none other than “Iron” Mike Tyson.

Mike Tyson Interview Transcript

December 14, 2012December 13, 2012 by ESB

MIKE TYSON: Hey Guys

Is there anything you don’t like to talk about in the show? Something that hurts you to talk about.

MIKE TYSON: You went right to the hurt part, huh? I speak about my daughter towards the end of the show and that’s kind of not a pretty sight.

Did you have to be pushed to talk about everything?

MIKE TYSON: I talk about everything that everyone knows about. They have seen them in the press and they don’t know the underlying factors – I am expressing that.

MIKE TYSON: They know it all so I have to talk about it or they would say, ‘that’s bull’ because they know it. What they don’t know it how i got started and what caused the altercation. They just know about the altercation. I am expressing the underlying story.

Mike Tyson Vs. Sonny Liston!

September 14, 2016November 20, 2012 by ESB

by James Slater – Though the late, great Charles “Sonny” Liston is arguably best remembered (certainly by younger fans) for his two fights with the one man he could never intimidate, in Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali, it is beyond debate that the former heavyweight king was one of the most adept boxers in heavyweight history when it comes to frightening an opponent.

Is Liston in fact, THE single most successful heavyweight in all of boxing when it comes to being able to win fights through little other than scaring his man stiff – therefore making his adversary an easy, ready-for-the-taking, deer caught in the headlights, “victim?” Of course, Liston had other ring skills, a punishing jab and awesome punching power, to name just two. But without his ability at terrifying an opponent even before the first bell, Sonny was certainly a lot less effective a fighter. This was also very much the case with another legendary heavyweight – the former champ who lists Liston as one of his ring idols.

Tyson: Ricky Hatton should take the slow approach back to the top

September 14, 2016October 7, 2012 by ESB

By Michael Collins: Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson feels that former two division world champion Ricky Hatton (45-2, 32 KO’s) should take his time getting back to the top of the sport rather than rushing headlong into a fight that could lead to Hatton getting knocked out once again. Hatton is coming off of a three year retirement to face former WBA World welterweight champion Vyachslav Senchenko next month on November 24th in Manchester, England.

Tyson said the the Telegraph.co.uk “My main advice for Ricky would b to take it very easy, you don’t go in over your head to prove you’re tough…Take comfortable fights and build your confidence back up.”

Foreman Vs. Tyson: The Heavyweight Explosion Of Heavyweight Explosions!

September 14, 2016September 1, 2012 by ESB

By James Slater:

“Boxing is the theatre of the unexpected,” Larry Merchant

“Fighting Tyson Would be Like Bird hunting for me; a bird’s nest on the ground,” George Foreman

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard Mike Tyson talk about potential 1990’s rival and fellow former heavyweight king George Foreman. Never once. Maybe, just maybe, this is because at no time did “Iron Mike” want anything to do with the old warrior he is famously alleged to have referred to as “that animal” when telling Don King what he could do with his lucrative idea of fighting Foreman. Maybe not.

Still, to me, and millions of other fight fans, Foreman-Tyson, Tyson-Foreman is the ultimate Dream Fight; one that was tantalizingly close in 1990. The two greats fought on the same bill in June of 1990 – Foreman taking out Adilson Rodrigues in quick time, Tyson rubbing out Henry Tillman ever faster – and the idea being floated around then was for the two to engage in another double-header that September (Tyson Vs. Alex Stewart, Foreman Vs. Francesco Damiani) and then meet in a blockbuster in December.

Mike Tyson Vs. Evander Holyfield: Which Fighter Has The Greater Legacy?

September 14, 2016August 28, 2012 by ESB

by James Slater: Somewhat as it is with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, the names Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson are destined to be forever linked. Though they only fought twice, with Holyfield winning on both occasions, Tyson and Holyfield had a long running rivalry, with a genuine grudge element added. The two were talked of as natural rivals as far back as 1987, when “The Real Deal” was a cruiserweight, but we had to wait – for one reason or another (jail, injury, etc) – until 1996 before the two mesmerizing heavyweights clashed in ring centre.

Today, quite amazingly considering the infamous “bite fight” of 1997, the rematch, the two have become pretty good friends (with Evander today releasing a Twitter pic of himself wearing a T-short mocking the bizarre DQ win he engaged in with “Iron” Mike. But who was the overall greater fighter, who has the greater legacy – Tyson or Holyfield?

Though many would ordinarily jump right on an article that prompts a debate about who was the better man between two fighters when one of them has beaten the other twice, I have a feeling this will not be the case here. Sure, Holyfield twice defeated Tyson, but this is “Iron Mike” we are talking about after all – a fighter with one of the most rabid and vocal groups of supportive and idolising fans in modern day boxing history.

Exclusive Interview with Boxing Photographer Tom Casino (Rare Photos Inside!)

September 14, 2016August 13, 2012 by Geoffrey Ciani

“In every Tyson fight you could feel the electricity in the air” – Tom Casino

Exclusive Interview by Geoffrey Ciani – I recently had the opportunity to have a very nice discussion with one of the best boxing photographers in the business, Tom Casino (pictured alongside Mike Tyson circa 1985). A master of his craft, Casino has captured the imagination of boxing fans for almost thirty years, bringing the action up close and personal while freezing single moments that shall forever live on in the annals of boxing history. Casino spoke about his experiences as a photographer and also shared some of his views as a fan. At the conclusion of the transcript, Tom has provided readers with an inside look of some of his work over the years, including images of Mike Tyson, Arturo Gatti, Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman, Carl Froch, James Toney, and more! Here is a complete transcript from the interview.

Audio:

GEOFFREY CIANI: Hello everyone. This is Geoffrey Ciani from East Side Boxing, and I am joined here today by one of the elite photographers in all of professional boxing, Tom Casino. How’s everything going today, Tom?

TOM CASINO: Very nice Geoff, thank you, and I appreciate that introduction. It was very nice of you.

All Time Historical Survey Series Recap – The Original 8 Weight Classes & P4P

September 15, 2016August 10, 2012 by Geoffrey Ciani

by Geoffrey Ciani – Over the course of a sixteen month period beginning in June 2009, I conducted a series of surveys that all began with a very simple question: Who are the ten best heavyweights of all time? While contemplating my own list of top heavyweight pugilists, I decided gathering the input of others might help display a more accurate portrayal of what a ‘true’ top 10 list should look like. Now of course this is not an exact science by any means. In fact, quite the opposite, it is an extremely subjective topic that is often skewed by personal bias, differences of opinion, individual tastes and preferences, and most importantly the absence of a universally agreed upon criteria with which to judge past fighters. Even with these inherent obstacles playing their natural role, however, we can still establish some degree of consensus.

The guidelines were simple. I had every person who voluntarily participated in each survey provide me with a chronological list of who they considered to be the ten best (heavyweights, middleweights, etc) in boxing history. Ties were not permitted, just a straight-forward list from one to ten. I then used a weighted-points system to assign values to fighters based on where they appeared on each individual’s list. First place votes received 25 points. Second place votes were worth 15 points, third place votes were 12, and fourth and fifth place votes were worth 10 and 8 points respectively. After that, the point differential was constant, with sixth place votes getting 5 points, seventh place votes getting 4, eighth getting 3, ninth place 2, and tenth place 1.