Mike Tyson’s infamous ‘Bite Fight’ is well-documented, but what isn’t widely known is that the contest continued after the worst chomp.

Evander Holyfield jumped in the air when Tyson took a chunk out of his ear in the third round of their 1997 rematch, but referee Mills Lane had an unprecedented situation on his hands.

Therefore, after deducting two points from Tyson, the experienced ‘Let’s Get It On’ icon allowed the clash to continue. Between Nevada Chairman Marc Ratner and ringside physician Flip Homansky, Lane decided Holyfield could carry on with the wound despite blood pouring out. Tyson’s team had wrongly claimed the bite resulted from a punch. Lane used industrial language to rule that out.

But by then, the red mist had formed, and only one thing was on Mike’s mind. He went in for another bite, only scarring Holyfield this time, but only then was the bout waved off. Another fact that sometimes gets overlooked is that Mike Tyson came out without his gumshield for that third round. It was utterly apparent what the former world champion had planned. The premeditation of it all makes it a more sinister act on the part of the “Baddest Man on the Planet.”

Tyson had complained about headbutts throughout the first fight. His cries were not heeded as Holyfield eventually finished him in eleven rounds. Unable to accept the most high-profile loss of his career to that point, Tyson took the rematch knowing precisely what he would do if Holyfield butted him again.

Once the second fight got underway, Holyfield won the first three rounds, scoring a headbutt in the second and cutting Tyson. It was ‘Game On’ as far as Tyson’s plan was concerned, especially as the third man Lane had often given Holyfield the benefit of the doubt.

Mike’s cut was the final straw, and as he later wrote in his book ‘The Undisputed Truth,’ Tyson would get his revenge.

“I just wanted to kill him. Anybody watching could see that the headbutts were so overt. I was furious. I was an undisciplined soldier, and I lost my composure. So I bit him in the ear,” he said.

Tyson still wanted to get at Holyfield even after the munch as he stood in the ring. He managed to shove Holyfield, who was still writhing in pain.

“People were pulling me and blocking me. [Holyfield] was standing in his corner, huddled up. I was still trying to get at him. I had fifty people on me, and I was still fighting the cops.”

The pair fought to the bell before Lane saw the result of the second bite, and it was game over.