Mike Tyson sells flowers named Toad and is now marketing a gummy brand called Mike Bites that pokes fun at one of the worst moments in sports history: When he bit the ear of Evander Holyfield during a heavyweight championship fight in 1997.
The fight ended at that point in the third round and Tyson was disqualifiied. Following a 15-month suspension, Tyson boxed until 2005, losing several matches and retired.
In recent years, Tyson has revived his career by jumping into cannabis, first with his ill-fated Tyson Ranch in California and now with the reconsituted Tyson 2.0 backed by entrepreneurs Chad Bronstein and Adam Wilks.
"It's unclear whether Evander Holyfield will receive a cut of the profits from this grotesque stunt."
What's so funny about this product that has people guffawing on Facebook and the media regurgitating the story without questioning the ethics of such a promotion?
Supposedly, Holyfield agreed to be mocked. A born-again Christian, he's said about the incident that shocked the sports world: "It don't bother me. It cost me a lot of grief but I'm glad it happened because it gave me an opportunity to talk about what forgiveness is."
It's unclear whether Holyfield will receive a cut of the profits from this grotesque stunt.
Update: Evander Holyfield must have thick skin. The former heavyweight boxing champ's Carma Holdings has signed on with Tyson 2.0. The first product, Holy Ears, is a takeoff on the Mike Bites gummies.
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This article has been updated.
