Mike Tyson has revealed the peculiar reason behind his habit of biting his boxing gloves during his much-anticipated fight against Jake Paul.
Following the match, which saw Paul triumph with a final judge’s score of 80-72, 79-73, 79-73, announcer Ariel Helwani queried Tyson about his unusual behaviour.
“The broadcast team was debating what you were doing with your gloves, was it a mouth piece issue or were you just biting on your glove,” he asked. “I have a habit of biting my gloves when I fight,” Tyson responded, adding: “I have a biting fixation.”
Despite a strong start in the first round, Tyson seemed to lose momentum by the second round, appearing to be in considerable discomfort as he continued to bite his gloves throughout the fight.
Social media was abuzz with confusion as viewers noticed Tyson frequently biting down on his gloves instead of engaging in the fight against Paul. One perplexed fan commented, “Glove biting, huh? Mike Tyson’s got his own ways of dealing with pressure, I guess! Still, can’t wait to see how the fight unfolds,” while another quipped, “What’s up with Mike Tyson and biting? ! First, it was Evander Holyfield’s ear, and now his own glove! Guess that’s one way to psych himself up for the fight.”
A third observer noted, “Mike Tyson spent more time biting his glove than throwing punches.”
Former professional boxer Tony Bellew weighed in on the peculiar behaviour, suggesting that Tyson’s actions were due to pain: “He’s biting his glove cos he’s in pain!!” However, some defended the boxing icon, proposing that Tyson was consciously restraining himself to avoid injuring Paul.
A supporter argued, “Mike Tyson biting his glove the whole fight so that he doesnt throw a punch and accidentally knock out Jake,” while another suggested, “Mike Tyson looked like he realized he would hurt Jake. He looked like he bit his glove to hold back punching.”
Another advocate for Tyson added, “Mike Tyson was biting his glove to keep himself from actually going at Paul. He gets his big payday and Paul can use this moving forward.”
