Mike Tyson’s $1million splurge before he bit part of Evander Holyfield’s ear off

Mike Tyson went on a $1million spending spree moments before he infamously bit part of Evander Holyfield’s ear off.

The legendary boxer’s moment of madness in 1997 is one of the most famous and controversial things boxing has ever seen. Spectators and viewers at home were even able to see the part of Holyfield’s ear Tyson gnawed off before Iron Mike spat it back out.

He was subsequently disqualified from the fight and fined $3m for the huge chomp on the Alabama native. His boxing licence was stripped from him at the time, but he did manage to get it back soon after.

However, before he felt the full force of those punishments, Tyson decided to take himself for quite the shopping spree.

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Before he even stepped into the ring, the knockout artist was reportedly paid a staggering $30m for the fight. With the fight coming three days before he turned 31, Tyson decided to gift himself some early birthday presents before the titanic bout.

After meeting up with his promoter at the time Don King, he picked up his cheque, exited the building, and embarked on the ultimate shopping spree. However, his excitement clouded his driving ability, as he clumsily reversed his $350,000 Lamborghini into a parking barrier.

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Instead of being safe in the knowledge that he could easily afford to repair the damage, Tyson tossed the keys to a nearby security guard and allowed him to keep it. One hour later, a giddy Tyson was seen exiting a nearby Versace store at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

$800,000 later, he left the store with clothes, shoes, and more accessories than any man needs. To ensure he did not spend the remaining $29m of the cheque, King reportedly took the cheque back for safe keeping.

Considering his history of buying the most audacious and expensive items known to the human race, this was a very wise idea. Over the course of Tyson career, he spent $210,000 on three Bengal tigers that required an ‘on-call’ animal trainer at the further cost of around $125,000 a year.

And, of course, who could forget the time he offered a zookeeper $10,000 to open up a cage and allow him to fight a silverback gorilla.