Showtime marks 30th anniversary with Tyson-Holyfield reflection

Showtime is celebrating its 30th year of boxing broadcasts, and Mike Tyson will turn 50 on June 30.

To commemorate the two events, premium cable network Showtime Extreme will air both of Tyson’s back-to-back losses to Evander Holyfield, in 1996 and 1997, at 10 p.m. Thursday.

Holyfield entered the 1996 bout a massive underdog, and the rematch was the infamous “Bite Fight,” in which a frustrated Tyson tried to bite off Holyfield’s ear.

A recent interview with Holyfield in South Florida complements the bouts, in which Holyfield remarks, “I never in my life would have ever thought about somebody biting my ear.”

Showtime has aired boxing since a March 1986 debut pitting then-middleweight champion Marvin Hagler against John “The Beast” Mugabi.