It was the bite heard around the world.

Back in 1997, 'Iron' Mike Tyson had already cemented his status as one of the most terrifying and divisive characters in the history of boxing, before his second mega-bout against Evander Holyfield.

The man dubbed 'the baddest man on the planet' was in his prime, despite having already been stopped by Holyfield in their fight a year previous, and the public was hungry for a Tyson win this time round.

Tyson, however, took hunger to a whole new level.

The former heavyweight champion took, not one, but two bites on the ear of his opponent, stunning the thousands in attendance and the millions watching around the world.

The bout was ruled as a disqualification against Tyson, and the moment has lived on in infamy for the proceeding two decades.

Looking back on the face off, Holyfield has had his say on what he thought was going through his opponent's mind at the time, and Tyson is unlikely to appreciate the comments.

Speaking to a journalist at the WBC conference in Baku, Holyfield remembers back to the fight: "We fought and I stopped him, so we went back to do it again and he bit me twice in the same fight. 

"I knew I could beat him. With those bites I understood that Mike was afraid because when you do something like that, it's because you want to run and not fight."

With hindsight, Holyfield's analysis may well be right, as the progression of the fight and previous history between the two men may well have plagued Tyson's mind before acting. Such thoughts may have explained the seemingly psychotic actions of a man on edge.

Their two lives contrasted greatly, with Tyson's out of ring life never far from the headlines, and Holyfield boxing to the age of 51.

It is undeniable that this is the moment, however, that would forever link the two names in the pages of boxing history.