Now ear this!
Mike Tyson’s cannabis company, Tyson 2.0, is peddling ear-shaped “Mike Bites” weed gummies inspired by Tyson’s infamous 1997 “Bite Fight” with Evander Holyfield.
In one of the most shocking boxing matches of all time, a frustrated Tyson chomped off a piece of Holyfield’s right ear and spat the chunk onto the canvas in the third round of their heavyweight rematch. Tyson was later disqualified from the fight by referee Mills Lane.
The Bite Fight came seven months after Holyfield stopped Tyson in the 11th round of their first bout in 1996, becoming only the second boxer to defeat Tyson after James “Buster” Douglas stunned the world by knocking Tyson out in 1990.
But that was then, and this is now. “Iron Mike” has mellowed considerably and is now a widely-admired cultural icon, podcast host and cannabis entrepreneur.
He’s even on relatively good terms with Holyfield, despite “The Real Deal” calling for a third fight in the wake of Tyson’s popular 2020 pay-per-view exhibition match with fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr.
So it’s only natural that the Tyson 2.0 team decided to playfully reference that inglorious foul with the Mike Bites edibles, which feature a bite taken out of the ear-shaped design.
The latest Tyson 2.0 edibles join “a wide range of premium, accessible and affordable, full-spectrum cannabis flower, concentrates, and consumables all tested and approved by Mike Tyson himself,” according to a statement from the brand.
Tyson’s cannabis company first announced the Mike Bites launch earlier this week, saying the gummies will be sold at dispensaries in Massachusetts, California, and Nevada. Tyson put his personal stamp of approval on the ear-shaped edibles, tweeting, “These ears actually taste good!”
Complex reports that Tyson first pitched the idea of the gummies to Holyfield back in 2019 during an episode of his Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson podcast.
“People keep asking, ‘How are you gonna forgive something like that?’” Holyfield said during his appearance on Tyson’s podcast.
“I say, everything that ever happened, at some point in time, I did it. Mike bit me, I say I bit somebody too – it just wasn’t on TV. I bit a guy in his shoulder, he dropped me, and I didn’t know when you had a concussion, you’ll bite too.”
Tyson then teased his Mike Bites edibles by replying, “You might be in business because we’re going to make some holy ears. Some edibles [of the ear] that got a bite taken out of ’em.”
