Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield
Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield, billed as Finally, was a professional boxing match fought between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson for the WBA heavyweight championship on November 9, 1996, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The bout was Tyson's first defense of the WBA title that he had won from Bruce Seldon on September 7 of that year. The referee officiating the fight was Mitch Halpern. The fight was promoted by Don King Productions and carried on pay-per-view by Showtime. The bout was the first fight pitting the two boxers against each other and it would be followed up with a controversial rematch. Background Holyfield managed to beat Ricky Womack twice and qualify into the Olympic team, while Tyson did not make it, losing on points to Henry Tillman. Afterward, Tyson took steps to become a power in the heavyweight division while Holyfield went on to win the bronze medal in Los Angeles. In 1986, Tyson became the youngest fighter ever to win a world heavyweight championship when he knocked Trevor Berbick out in the second round to win the WBC title as part of an ongoing series of fights designed to unify the belts of the