In Black America; Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield: Finally

From the Longhorn Radio Network, the University of Texas at Austin, this is in Black America. Ladies and gentlemen, a very good afternoon to you, and we welcome you to the MGM Grand Garden. And to all the fans joining us across the nation on ESPN, we welcome you as well. It is time for the weigh-in of Tyson Vs. Holy Field, finally. It's all brought to you by Don King of Productions. At this time, ladies and gentlemen, we present the challenger to the scale. He is the former undisputed cruiserweight and former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world,

introducing Evender, the real deal of Holy Field. 215 pounds, 215 pounds. And now, ladies and gentlemen, we present the defending world champion. He also is the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. He'll be defending his WWE heavyweight crown, introducing Iron Mike Tyson. 222 pounds, 222 for the champion. Ring announcer Jimmy Lemon Jr. On Saturday, November 9th, at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Mike Tyson put his WBA World Heavyweight Championship on the line against former undisputed champion Evender Holy Field. When it was all said and done, Holy Field had thrown everything he had at Tyson, about stopped in the 11th round from a technical knockout.

In beating Tyson, Holy Field at the age of 34 certified his ring greatness by achieving what only Muhammad Ali managed to do, claiming the World Heavyweight Championship of the third time. Holy Field was not the only victor that Saturday night. For the first time in a long time, a still out crowd of 16,325 had something to cheer about for more than three rounds, and professional boxing received some regentions. It was the night that gave the sweet science what it needed more than anything else, excitement, intrigue, and unpredictability. I'm John L. Hanson Jr. and welcome to another edition of In Black America. On this week's program, WBA World Heavyweight Champion Evender Holy Field and former champion Mike Tyson in Black America. I have love for everybody. I don't, boxing is a game and I just want to give my best each and every time I get on that come.

But I always want to church somebody life to let somebody know. It's not so much of being a boxer. It's just so much when a challenge come up. You have to face that challenge and you have to give you all. And that's my world to the world because there's a lot of kids out there scared to face challenging. They don't come out together because people tell them they can't. Telling you believe in Jesus and believing yourself, you can get over it. And that was my message. I thank Mike Tyson. I thank the whole Tyson crew for giving me an opportunity because you know, no one goes nowhere without an opportunity. I'm not here by myself. I'm here because God has blessed me to have people who believe in me, who love me, and then look at me in the gym and say, boy, Holy Field is washed up. Because I know they could have said that because Gary Bell put a weapon on me a lot of days in there. You know, I, you know, every kind of sad, but he did. But you know what, I didn't quit. I realized if I just get through that and get through the fight, I'll be able to do something different.

And something different, he did. Holy Field took a cue from Buster Douglas. The only fighter previously to get his hands on Tyson six years ago. Holy Field nearly duplicated his blueprint for victory, throwing the former champion for only the second time in his 47 fight career. Holy Field punched first, smothered Tyson on the inside, pushed off, then counting with right hands and left hooks when Tyson lunged with wild home run punches. In the sixth round, Holy Field knocked an off-balance Tyson's to the canvas. And in the same round, a cut open near Tyson's left eye. Holy Field's tactical fight wore down Tyson. As he left the corner for the ninth round, he forgot his mouthpiece. From that moment on, it was only a matter of time. Tyson, weighing a career high, 222 pounds, seemed to tire quickly. He was saved by the bell in the 10th and referee Mitch Helpland stopped the fight in the 11th. Holy Field began his professional boxing career in 1984. He captured his first world title on July 12, 1986, winning the WBA Junior Heavyweight title.

With this challenge for the WBA title last November 9th, Holy Field had gone two years, six months, and 18 days between title fights. The longest duration in his career with the title world title match. In Black America, Travato Las Vegas, the following out excerpts from the post-fight press conference. I'm very proud of my man, Mike Tyson Knight, a father-grablin' fight, in his understanding that he have to continue in the struggle. But I mean, it makes as far as the sport of boxing, I mean, it would be rims of people written tomorrow about a dynamite guy named Avanda Holy Field. But now it puts an equation, what they call an equalizer into the sport. When they have a rematch, it would be something super sensational. Everybody in the world would be there. They can't say it's going to be over in one round. They can't say he ain't fighting nobody. They can't say that we don't know what to do with him, because everybody gets in that way.

He's done dummy in before they get in there. So all of the unanswered questions have been answered. And now we are starting the stage for the next slate of what we about to do. And the man who stands tall in the saddle to be able to accept defeat and keep on stepping to go back for victory, is the man of the hour, the man who you had yesterday that would say that would have vanquished this man in a tweaking of an eye. Today he's growing in maternity and strength, focusing discipline to understand that it is another side of the coin. But I can take that one too. And that's when the real man stands up and stand tall and say let's get rid of it. Mike Tyson, former heavyweight champion of the world. So thank you, I bear witness there's one God and I bear with him. I'm a prophet of God. I just want, man, I just want to shake your hand. It's been so long. I've been nice on touch. Right on. That's what I want to do. Congratulations, Mike. I did. Three, two. And I just want to shake your hand. It's been so long. I'm a nice on touch. Right on. That's what I want to do.

Congratulations, Mike. And did. Three, two. I went in there. I fought and gave my best. I was tied and just kept fighting. And I got caught in from exchange and then he fought a hell of a fight. And I just commend you. Thank you very much. That's the greatest respect for you. And... And... Right on. And... And by the will of God, hopefully we can do it again. Thank you. Right. Right on. I'm going to just say it. Let me say... Let me say that, you know, Mike did what I thought and felt very good and appreciated and respected and paid tribute to the man that vanquished him this evening. And I think this is something that makes boxing unique, rare, and wonderful of them in the other sport, where two men pomel each other all night long, and then one is convicted. The other one come back and hug him and say, hey, good luck, brother good. You did a good job.

I mean, this is what makes life what it is in the world of boxing. And I'm very proud of that, Mike being a champion loser just like he is a champion winner, because there's so many other times we came up here, and everybody else wanted to pull all on the pole guy who was vanquished by Mike. You understand? So every now and then you have to be brought to the humbling block to understand what is all about so you can regroup, re-energize, and start all over again. All right. So now that's what Mike has done, and that shows the type of proper respect, the prestige and the statue and the steam that the young man is, that what makes our sport a good sport, so y'all write that down. Make sure that y'all say, boxing ain't so bad after all. And so now what we're going to do is to recognize the man of the hour. I mean, this is something that you catch your lightning in a jug. You know what I mean? And then it shans. And so you have electricity. He lit up the place tonight. He is a man that is a very humble young man. He is a man that is a guy that is a Christian. He is a guy that loves God, and he also knows how to box. And so what he did tonight is he proved that he could box against all the daughters, all those who were the naysayers,

all those who were the disbelievers. He made believers out of them tonight. The heavyweight champion of the world, a vandal holder, a three-time heavyweight champion of the world. Congratulations, champ. This is your hour, God bless you, and keep on keeping on. First of all, I'd like to give thanks to Jesus Christ, the Lord of my Savior. You know, I came into this fight, and you know, I was led by the Spirit. And I'm also thankful all my life is praying is not a thing. I just started. I've been praying all my life, and you know, I always believe in God. And you don't do out my career. You know, I have certain people who always challenge me. And, you know, I think Mike Tyson would give me an opportunity to challenge him. I never, ever, ever in my life, ever had in a dislike for Mike.

My whole thing is I realized this is boxing, but I got love for everybody. And, you know, I watch Mike fight ever since 1988 to it. In theapolis, we won Golden Globe together in 1984. And, you know, I watched him train, and I realized that a lot of people didn't give Mike credit for how hard he worked. And I realized that at some point in time that my goal would always be to be the heavyweight champion of the world, I just started growing late. And, you know, I watch Mike, and I realized that nobody could beat Mike. It's not so much that not so much that I wanted to challenge him, just to challenge him. But I realized to be the heavyweight champion of the world, that I'm going to have to fight the best man. And I always prepare myself to fight the best man. Every time Mike fought, I always watched him. And I realized that Mike had a style that couldn't know about a cope with. I realized that Mike moved to the left right and shaking people off, didn't catch him. You know, it's, it's, and appointing me being the heavyweight champion of the world.

When I lost the title, I got it back. And I went, you know, when Mike went away, I kind of lost the desire. I lost something when Mike was gone. And because my whole thing, I felt that, well, wasn't nobody there that really, really, really, really, really got me up to fight. And what I took, read it both for granted. And then he proved that you can't take nobody for granted. And so, you know, my whole thing, I take my head off to Mike. You know, I didn't just go in there myself to fight Mike. You know, I thank God. And I prayed. You know, I prayed before I, all the time doing training. We had prayer section. I prayed when I got up in the ring. I prayed when I was fighting them because one thing is this. I realized what I was facing. My whole thing is that when I come to fight, I bring everything with me. I knew that I would have to pray to be in there and to be with the man. And so, it then bothered me because I, I let everybody know.

I'm a praying person. I love to pray. And when I come into the ring, I'm going to bring everything with me that's going to help me to, to get the job done. And I, and I give credit. And I thank my trainers, all my trainer, darn tonner, Tim Hallmark, Tommy Brooks, my nephew Mike, and all these people because one thing, no one realizes that when I was training for this fight, that my sworn partner will whooping me up, Gary Bale. And he was just whooping me up. And it was, it was, it was discouraging to know that you're supposed to be fighting Mike Tyson. You can't get past this part part. You can't go number two or three rounds. I was able to discourage him, but I prayed and I got through it. And I had, I had people that behind me just said, well, event to come on. It'll get better. And usually I'm a trained six week, eight weeks for the fight. No, this, this time I trained about 15 or 16 weeks for the fight.

I knew what I was into and, and I was going to be prepared. I was going to be prepared and, and it didn't make any different what everybody said I couldn't do. One thing in life, I want you all to know, you can count me out. But I believe in Jesus because I believe in Jesus, I can get over thing. I have lost two times, lost a tight of two times. And I knew the only thing that will ever stop me if I quit on myself. And, and one thing I would like to say, when Mike fought Busta Douglas, when he was on an airplane, I told him, I said, you'll be champion again. Same way you got it that time, you can get it back again. I have love for everybody. I don't, boxing is a game and I just want to give my best each and every time I get out there, but I always want to church somebody life to let somebody know. It's not so much you're being a boxer. It's just so much when a challenge come up. You have to face that challenge and you have to give you all. And, and that's my, that's my world to the world.

Because there's a lot of kids out there scared to face challenging. They don't come out together because people tell them they can't. Telling you believe in Jesus and believing yourself, you can get over it. And that was my message. I thank Mike Tyson. I thank the whole Tyson crew for giving me an opportunity because you know, no one goes nowhere without an opportunity. I'm not here by myself. I'm here because God has blessed me to have people who believe in me, who love me, and then look at me in the gym and say, boy, Holyfield is washed up. Because I know they could have said that because Gary Bell put a weapon on me a lot of days in there. You know, I, and you know, every kind of sad, but he did. But you know what, I didn't quit. I realized if I just get through that and get through the fight, I'll be able to do something different. And I had to trust the Lord to go through it. And I, and I think everybody and I think all your writers who, who doubted me because you know what? I'm the type of person to take something that down. And I use that as something that boosts me. And I, and I read them paper and yeah, and I'm not mad with you. And I read them paper and I'm used as the few me because when people start

doubting me, this one's going to get a chance to show up and push me out here. So I think everybody. And you know, and I, and I think Don Ken and I, and I, at most of all, I, I think main events, because main events were with me in 84 and, and main events is a one that kind of like broke me through it. And, and, and a lot of people told me I shouldn't talk about Jesus because I talk about Jesus, but I kept talking about Jesus. And I, but I know that if I just continue to fight, and one thing I can say, I fight anybody, it'll make them different. It's not about losing to me about me giving my all because each and every time I fight, my kids are watching me. And the only thing I want to tell them, I gave my all. You know, my son cried when I lost against Reddit both. He cried when I lost against Mike and more. But I told him, I, I gave my all. When you get your all, you can, hold your head up high. And you can always, if you want to go back, you can always get it because you know how you got there.

Thank you very much. Mori Voskis, San Antonio, Ken's TV. Mike, in one of your showtime promotional interviews, you were asked about Evander, and he said, I'm pardon my language, but you said, I don't give a shit about what I hear about his heart, about his courage. After the fact, do you have a different opinion now about Evander Holyfield? Well, I, I knew Evander for at least probably, um, God. I probably knew Evander for 12 years, 13 years. And I take my head off to him. I use hope perhaps one day, um, we can do it again. All right. Question. Paul Davis from Chicago, said it's a newspaper. Mr. Tyson, did you feel that the referee allowed an excessive amount of holding or tying you up during the match? Um, I don't know. I was pretty tight. You know what I mean? So I guess, um, it really embodies me that much, but he was holding, but I was, I was pretty tight as well. Question. Yes, Marina.

Mr. King, Bill Tater, M. Amsterdam News in New York. Mike and Evander, you've got to come to New York. I think what you've done here this evening is to give us something that we've been looking for, a fight that would end all the speculation. It should be made in New York, and will you do that? The fight. We'd like to see it be made in New York. Well, you know, you must be talking to me because I want me to want it to make it. I guess I've got to take it off, my brother. You know, they've got to take all of it. But anyway, I think New York is a great city. I think it's so great to name it twice New York New York. I think Madison Square Garden is a temple of boxing, and I've been talking to Dave Chuckett and Chuck Dolan in regards to doing something in New York. So we certainly would take it on advancement in consideration. It's something that would make my heart jump for joy more

than being in the big city where all the people have come and been. And we'll see if it can be worked out so that we can do it again and maybe in New York or somewhere. You never know, we're going to keep on working toward it because I think New York is great. Great, great, great city, great people. Yes. Evander. What? Evander, Lisa Harris, UPR. Lisa Harris. Evander, what is it like to deal with Mike's punching for that long? I mean, nobody does it. What makes you able to handle it and what is the experience like? Well, you know, it's a win in mentality. You know, to be a winner, you'll go through what's necessary for the prize is, you know, might do hit very hard. But, you know, everybody do hit hard when you get hit. But, you know, the most important thing is that the prize got to be more than the prize got to be more than a pain. You know, the whole thing is I don't think about how hard I'm getting hit. I'm trying to hit him.

It's the whole thing. Me being able to hit him kind of all set the power. You know, you can't go in. No fight. And saying, well, and thinking about how hard you got hit, you might well don't even show up. You're going to get hit. So, Christ, Steve White, with the Miami Herald, Evander, or maybe Dino or Don, is there a contractual agreement for rematch? And if so, or if not, will there be a rematch? Okay, I mean, is that set or how is that set? Well, we were considered whatever option we got. I do have the promotional rights on Evander. All right, so naturally, the public will absolutely demand a rematch. But we will play and see how it goes because the one thing about Evander is the champion and what we're going to do is to sit back, reconordered, you know, go with the thing and see what we want to go. But you do have one thing the public is ready because they was so avalanched, once that is a fair complaint, this is a shock to everybody.

So, that means that we have to deal with that shock because that shock means monumental rematch if it happens to be what? Yes. You hit him with an ordinary amount of right hands. What did you see prior to the fight that led you to believe you could land those right hands as repeatedly as you did? Well, you know, I've been watching Mike for years and years and years and Mike would dip and hit you with a left foot. So, the whole thing is that either you go get hit with a left foot or either you're going to hit him with the right hand. So, the whole thing is that you got to beat him to try to beat him to the punch. And times I got hit and times I beat him to, but the point is that most, you don't, I don't fear nobody. I could still have covered it up because the times that when I cover up he hit hard enough to go through the punches. So, the whole thing is that I realize that to be a winning you got to beat a man to the shot. You just can't see him dip and just take the shot. Mike, I'd like to ask you about the flow of this fight

and your state of your mind following this fight as compared to the Buster Douglas fight. What is it? In other words, your reaction to how this fight ended as opposed to the Buster Douglas fight. I believe I'm vandered a better fighter than Buster Douglas. Buster Douglas, I basically didn't train at all. I was in pretty decent shape for this fight. You have to act vandered because he was taking my blow. He felt the punches after three rounds. So, I doubt it. I was still punting and trying to hit hard and trying to knock him out. Mike, Steve Barnes, 99x radio in Atlanta right here. In round six when you went down, what was the, how urgent was it in your head yet a knock-a-vander out to win the fight? I don't even remember going down. I don't even remember the fight from probably the third round

and I don't even remember the fight. He had hit me, I believe, in the third or fourth round and I'll just blacked out and I don't even remember the fight. Yes, Colin. Evander, after a performance like that and you've equid Muhammad Ali's record of being a three-time world champion, wouldn't this be a wonderful moment to walk away from boxing? I guess it would be, but it's not like I'm looking forward to it. You know, I'm a little bit about a spirit and I'm going to pray about it. You know, now that I have a wife, I've got to get her blessing as well. So, the whole thing is that I'm going to go back and rest and you know, and every need, you know, if that's a fight there that's interesting that I know I'm a fight for, then I may fight again. But isn't it interesting that every time you get a champion

that beats a monumental champion, you get a guy that says, why don't you retire? You know what I mean? This is really weird, isn't it, champ? You fight, you're struggling, you work, you pray, you come into the ring, you say, I'm going to win this fight, you win the fight, you say, I'm going to continue to be fighting if you lose, you say, I want an interview with me. Say, if I lose, I'm going to still go out there, I'm going to fight along with the spirit moving it. You know what I mean? They want to retire you. I don't understand that. Anyway, that's roll on. The boxing benches just getting exciting, Kola. You've been always talking about it was dominated by one man. Now you get another man that takes the dominating light, and now you want to get rid of him right quick. You know, so we go back so he can come and complain some more about how bad our sport is. Next question. This is to Evander. Evander, if you don't retire, do you think your training is hard as you did for Mike since you knew Mike style and you knew he was going to be fighting the best in the world?

I try to believe I would train a little bit more hard and I would pray a little bit more. I'm some 10 rounds, it's difficult, but you know, the whole thing is that, you know, I know, you know, I'm praying without work, don't work. And that's the big difference in life that a lot of people believe in Christ, but they don't work hard. Working hard is a key to success. If you don't work hard, you're going to lose I'm in anything. So your best thing is, when you know that you're facing somebody, you need to work hard, you need to stay in, stay in tune. And I try to make, you know, my life about, if I'm going to be in the game of boxing, I want to be in the very best shape I could be in, where I won't lose to the point of where I wasn't in shape. I think that's the worst thing. Worst feeling in life is know that you didn't win because you wasn't in shape. And I can attest to that prayer without good works is a dead thing. You know what I mean? That's why I work so hard myself. And I think that this is just the beginning of a new era that we're going to come on back out here and fight

and keep talking and rematch getting bigger and bigger. All right, next question, Ron Burgess. Mike, when you came out for the 11th round, it looked like it was just basically your heart that brought you out. Were you aware even how much trouble you were in at that point? Did you know what the situation was? It looked like you just sort of went out there to... I didn't know where I wasn't at. I didn't know anything. When I was in the corner, I couldn't hear anything. I didn't know anything. Well, when you look at the count of the count of the fighter that Mike is, you know, you can't take nothing from him. And it's just like everybody always asked me, what do you think about Mike? I said, well, you know, Mike been knocking people out all his life. And I have seen, and I was one of the people that witnessed that. So I realized that, you know, I always wanted to fight the best of my area. Mike is in my era. And you can't be considered great if you didn't fight nobody that you thought was great. But, well, you know, everything, you know, each and every fight is better.

And, you know, Mike is the last fighter I've fought. So I think it's the very best fight. You know, the whole thing is that I don't live in the pants. You know, I appreciate the Dwight Muhammad Kwawee fight because it only got me ready for the bus of Douglas fight. And the bus of Douglas fight only got me ready for the bow fight. And the bow fight got me ready for the next fight. And, you know, the lawskins bow only gave me more heart endurance to go against a guy like Mike Tyson. Meaning that, you know, bow, it hit me very hard, but I had to endure that. And, you know, so going in with Mike and stuff like that to get hit hard, it wasn't a surprise. You know, but I knew I had to continue to fight. Well, yeah, no doubt. I was happy before I even went in. I felt that I'd be happy when I come out. WBA World Heavyweight Champion, Evander Holyfield, winner by 11th round Technical Knockout over Mike Tyson. If you have a question or comment or suggestions, ask your future in Black America programs, write us. Also, let us know what radio station you heard us over.

The views and opinions expressed on this program are not necessarily those of this station or of the University of Texas at Austin. Until we have the opportunity again for IBA Technical Producer Cliff Hargrove, I'm John L. Hanson Jr. Thank you for joining us today and please join us again next week. Cassette copies of this program are available and may be purchased by writing in Black America Cassettes. Communication Building B, UT Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712. From the University of Texas at Austin, this is the Longhorn Radio Network. I'm John L. Hanson Jr. I'm John L. Hanson Jr. I'm John L. Hanson Jr. I'm John L. Hanson Jr. I'm John L. Hanson Jr. I'm John L. Hanson Jr.

I'm John L. Hanson Jr. Join me this week on in Black America. Right now, I need to rest and I need to think about it because I don't want to make quick decisions. Come back and say, and reverse them. But, you know, most important thing is now is that, you know, I just like to enjoy the victory. WBA World Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield this week on in Black America. You