Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield, billed as "Finally", was a professional boxing match fought between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson for the World Boxing Association heavyweight championship on November 9, 1996 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, 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 Promotions 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 subsequent rematch.
Direction
Raw broadcast energy — no documentary polish, just history unfolding live.
Sound
Crowd noise tells the story before punches do.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Tyson was a 25-to-1 favorite. Casinos lost millions. Someone always knows something.
This fight rewrote both legacies: Holyfield became immortal, Tyson became vulnerable — setting up the infamous rematch nobody predicted.
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