Mike Tyson vs. Francois Botha Mike Tyson vs. Francois Botha Mike Tyson and Francois Botha competed in a professional boxing match on January 16, 1999. Tyson won the match by knocking out Botha in the fifth round. After Tyson's controversial fight with Evander Holyfield on June 28, 1997 which saw Tyson get disqualified in the third round after twice biting Holyfield's ears, the Nevada Athletic Commission fined Tyson $3 million and revoked his boxing license. Tyson's ban would ultimately last a total of 15 months and 10 days with it finally ending after a five-man committee voted in favor of reinstating Tyson by a vote
Mike Tyson vs. Francois Botha of 4–1 on October 18, 1998. After much speculation over who Tyson would face in his return bout, it was officially announced that Tyson would face former IBF Heavyweight champion Francois Botha on January 16, 1999. Despite his long layoff, Tyson was forthright about his chances of collecting a victory over Botha by way of knockout. On one occasion, Tyson stated "I am going right at him and I expect him to go down cold. I expect him to die." The comment would cause some controversy, with some in the boxing world claiming that Tyson had gone too far. Botha