GSMOAT Round 1 Match 4 - "The Catch" vs. Mike "The Bite" Tyson

[GinoCan]

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In a game where the lead shifted back and forth repeatedly, the 49ers took over the ball trailing 27-21 and marched down to the 6-yard line on third down with 58 seconds left on the clock. When Joe Montana took the snap, the play, known as Sprint Right Option, was intended to be a pass to wide receiver Freddie Solomon; earlier in the game, Solomon scored a touchdown on that exact play.[1] However, the Cowboys covered Solomon perfectly. Making matters worse, the pass rush of the Cowboys collapsed the 49ers offensive line. Two of the Cowboys defensive ends Ed "Too Tall" Jones and Larry Bethea, plus linebacker D. D. Lewis chased a backpedalling Montana to the sideline and were certain to send him out of bounds or make a sack. At the last moment, after pump-faking and getting 6-foot 9-inch "Too Tall" Jones to jump up prematurely, Montana threw a high pass to the back of the end zone. 49ers receiver Dwight Clark made a leaping grab with his fingertips from the back of the end zone for the winning touchdown with 51 seconds left in the game. He finished the game with 8 catches for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Widely regarded as one of the most memorable moments in NFL history.

vs.

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Breathing heavily, Tyson stumbles back as Holyfield charges and nails him with a solid right to the ribcage. Tyson counters with two solid hooks, but neither makes the champion budge. Suddenly, with 40 seconds left in the round, the fight takes an ugly and ghastly turn: Tyson gets Holyfield in a clinch, rolls his head above Holyfield's shoulder, spits out his mouthpiece, and then in an inexplicable and gruesome move, crunches down hard with his teeth on Holyfield's right ear and bites off a chunk.

Everyone in the stadium is mortified, unable to grasp what they have just witnessed. As Tyson spits out the chunk of Holyfield's ear, a bewildered and perplexed Holyfield pushes Tyson away, then hops up and down in a frenzied pain, and spins around in a circle in stinging agony.

Lane abruptly stops the bout. As a mystified Holyfield, bleeding badly from the ear, turns his back to walk toward his corner, Tyson runs and attacks him from behind, startling the crowd. Tyson slams Holyfield in the back, and the champion falls into the ropes.

As Holyfield quickly turns and prepares to go after Tyson, Lane breaks in. "I was ready to tackle him, and throw him down," Holyfield would say later.

Holyfield stands in shock, a red line of blood running from his ear to his shoulder and down his back. He stares in disbelief and anger at Tyson. The fight is delayed for several minutes as Lane sternly lectures Tyson and penalizes him only with a two-point deduction. Meanwhile, as a physician examines Holyfield and determines he can continue to fight, Lane turns to Tyson and says, "One more like that and you're gone," referring to the bite.

Tyson would tell reporters later: "Holyfield butted me in the second round and then he butted me again. He looked right at me and came right into me. What am I supposed to do? I've got children to raise. He kept butting me. Holyfield is not the warrior he claims he is. He got a little nick on his ear. ... He didn't want to fight, regardless of what he did. Look at me."

The fight resumes. The crowd is now juiced up in a wild fury of emotion. Immediately, Holyfield hits Tyson with a solid right. The opponents fight into another clinch, then Tyson, shocking and amazingly, cranes his neck around again, finds Holyfield's left ear and bites it. This time, he rips an even bigger piece of Holyfield's ear.

Bedlam and chaos follow as Tyson tries to get at Holyfield in his corner. Tyson, in a wild rage, takes a swing at a police officer who had stormed the ring. Holyfield's trainer, Tommy Brooks, yells at Tyson, "You're a coward. You had Holyfield all to yourself in the ring, but now with 15 people behind you, you want to fight. You're a coward."

Tyson turns into a madman, trying to get at Holyfield and Brooks. The nastiness is contagious, spreading from the ring through the stands and outside into the Las Vegas night.

Back inside, public address announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. reads the never-before-heard decision: "Referee Mills Lane has disqualified Mike Tyson for biting Evander Holyfield on both of his ears."

[Spear]

"Flutie Pass"?

I said the catch.

[Alex]

If this was most memorable moments, then Tyson biting Holyfield's ear would have a chance, but it's not (and yeah, I double checked )...

[GinoCan]

Originally Posted by Spear

"Flutie Pass"?

I said the catch.

Oopssss...that's something else...I clearly was ahead of myself..."Flutie Pass" is the Doug Flutie's hail mary that will pop up soon...

I don't know how to edit the poll so yeah...

[Exo]

The catch is a great moment, the bite is a disgracefull act of pussyfication. I hope tyson doesn't find me though.

[Jason]

The bite.

I'm the only who voted for it

Very memorable for me when I was younger to hear that some boxer dude bit off another boxer dude's ear,I also remember David Letterman saying something along the lines of "Pay Per Chew"....that was the only time I ever laughed at something Letterman said.

[GinoCan]

Joe Cool is the greatest QB of all time in my mind...and I'm a Niners fan...nuff said...

Even though I could remember the Biting moment...family ordered the PPV...and I was shocked...SHOCKED...when Mike spits those pieces of ears......oh and didn't M. Lane landed a job on TV for refereed this fight? I thought so...

[GinoCan]

The Catch goes onto second round.