Tyson and Holyfield in pictures

Six years after they were supposed to meet, a fight between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson was finally agreed in 1996

They were expected to fight in 1990 but Tyson lost to James "Buster" Douglas, who was then beaten by Holyfield

After time in prison, Tyson had regained two heavyweight title belts with wins over Bruce Seldon and Britain's Frank Bruno

He was expected to destroy former champion Holyfield, who was 34 and feared to be past his best and out of his depth

Tyson made a predictably explosive start and got through with some trademark hurtful punches in the opening round

It looked like being a difficult night for Holyfield, who had ignored calls for him to quit the sport

But having weathered the storm, Holyfield fought back and began to catch Tyson with some cracking punches

As against Douglas, Tyson found himself under a barrage of shots from a man who refused to be intimidated by him

The crowd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas were on their feet when an off-balance Tyson was floored by a left hook

Tyson was wobbled near the end of the 10th round and was on the verge of being stopped when he was saved by the bell

It was only a temporary reprieve as referee Mitch Halpern stepped in to stop the fight early in the next round

Holyfield's victory was one of the most remarkable in boxing history and earned him legendary status

The rematch in June 1997 followed a similar early pattern, with Tyson running out of ideas after an explosive start

Holyfield seemed to be heading towards another stoppage victory as Tyson again looked a shadow of his former self

Frustrated and unhappy after a number of head collisions, Tyson then resorted to biting his opponent's ear

Holyfield recoiled in agony and Tyson was twice warned by furious referee Mills Lane

Tyson was eventually disqualified with Holyfield keeping the titles - but losing part of his right ear

Holyfield, now 45, still refuses to retire and has said he would consider taking on Tyson for a third time

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