Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield were once separated in violent sparring session and had tense stand-off over pool table when teenage Tyson tried bullying his heavyweight rival

Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield shared two historic fights in the late nineties, but many years before those epic barnstormers the pair first clashed in front of just a handful of people. He said, ‘Hey man, you’re my friend, I don’t wanna hurt you.’ “ Holyfield told DAZN: “An Olympic coach [Pat Nappi] came in and stopped it. Holyfield would not be bullied by Tyson and went on to beat him twice in the pro ranks in the 1990sGetty Images - Getty He later divulged to Ring Magazine: “One of the things I knew, dating back to when Holyfield and Tyson were amateurs, was the pool table incident. “ I always had it in the back of my mind that Tyson knew if there was one guy he couldn’t intimidate, it was Evander Holyfield.” However, it was the amateur experience at the Olympic trials that put Holyfield in great stead for his fight with Tyson 12 years later.