Published: August 19, 2008 01:02 pm            

Boxer disqualified for biting Olympic opponent

And believe it or not ... Evander Holyfield was there to see it

BEIJING (AP) - A light heavyweight boxer from Tajikistan was disqualified for biting his opponent on the shoulder during their Olympic quarterfinal bout Tuesday night.

Dzhakhon Kurbanov's bout with Kazakhstan's Yerkebulan Shynaliyev was stopped with 17 seconds left in the third round when Kurbanov apparently bit Shynaliyev during a clinch.

Shynaliyev, who angrily showed the blood on his shoulder to the referee, led 12-6 at the time. Kurbanov had been warned multiple times for shoving and holding his opponent.

Kurbanov is a 22-year-old fighter who got off to an auspicious start in Beijing last week, beating world champion Abbos Atoev in his first bout. He won the 2005 Asian championships as a middleweight, and was competing in his first Olympics.

Oddly enough, the evening card at Workers' Gymnasium was watched by Evander Holyfield, who was infamously bitten on the ear by Mike Tyson on June 28, 1997.

        

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