A piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear hit the ring floor, and pandemonium ensued. Around the world, there was shock, stunned disbelief. Had Mike Tyson really bitten off a piece of Holyfield’s ear? But there was a sense of calm, a soothing voice that came through Jim Gray’s earpiece.

“This is where you’re at your best,” the announcer was told. “Go get it.”

That voice belonged to David Dinkins Jr., the producer of the pay-per-view show.

“I won an Emmy that night, and it was because of the way David Dinkins produced the show,” Gray recalled in a phone interview, referring to the senior vice president and executive producer of Showtime Sports.

It’s a snapshot into a memorable sports production career, one that will take the 63-year-old Dinkins — the son of the former New York City mayor — to Las Vegas on Saturday night for the mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor. The bout is expected to set a record for pay-per-view buys, a unique match pitting arguably the greatest boxer of all time (Mayweather) against a brash mixed martial arts champion making his pro-boxing debut (McGregor).

Dinkins has been the primary producer of the Showtime Championship Boxing series since 1987, and has overseen the telecasts of two of the most-watched pay-per-view events in history, including the Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao super-fight in May 2015. That was a collaboration of HBO and Showtime talent, and it speaks volumes he was chosen to lead the group.

“I can honestly say David is the best producer I’ve worked with, and I’ve worked with eight million producers over the years,” said Al Bernstein, a widely respected boxing announcer.

“The guy should be in the Hall of Fame,” Gray said.

Dinkins compared his job to that of a football coach. There is a game plan, and he oversees it. During a show, he will be in the production truck, in charge of everything, from the cameras to the on-air talent to the graphics that will accompany the broadcast. Most of all, his job is about preparation, preparing for the unpredictable, and he does have some coach-like qualities.

“David will tell you how he feels,” Gray said. “David will scream and he will reel you in. He’ll get after people when he has to. This is no-shrinking violet.”

But most important, for announcers, there is a trust with Dinkins that he won’t steer them wrong with incorrect information.

“I don’t have to think about that with David,” Gray said.

Dinkins was a sports nut growing up, a member of the soccer, track & field and baseball teams in high school. A diehard Knicks and Mets fan who will watch “playoff anything,” from the Little League World Series to the World Cup — there was something special about sports that drew him in. He loved the competition, and used it as a way to socialize.

“I learned about myself, about my friends and my peers through athletics,” Dinkins said. “Now, as somebody who covers athletics, I think it’s a mirror into who people are.”

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It’s his life. In fact, he will miss his niece Kalila Hoggard’s wedding to work the Mayweather-McGregor fight. But she understands.

“She said, ‘I knew once the fight was announced you wouldn’t be able to make it,’ ” Dinkins said. “She let me off the hook right away. I guess I have to get them a good wedding present.”

Dinkins never considered following in his father’s footsteps. In college at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, he was planning to attend law school, but not necessarily to become a lawyer. Dinkins figured he would enter the business sector afterwards. But he got a break after taking a few media courses, and landed a gig with an NBC affiliate in Cleveland.

From there, he became a star in the production field, working at all four major television networks and ESPN, learning from the likes of legendary producers Alex Wallau and the late Joe Aceti.

Dinkins has covered the Olympics, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA and received two Sports Emmy Awards for his production work on NFL games.

“He picked his own way, and I’m very happy with his success,” his father, the former mayor, said. “I don’t think I had anything to do with it. It was all him.”

Not if you listen to his son tell it. Following his father’s storied career has helped him with his, seeing how his dad deals with people and treats them. How he handled crisis. How he leads. The son has a similar style.

“It’s what we do, and you have to be ready for it,” Dinkins said. “The thing that helps me is I’m decisive. I make decisions quickly and I’m prepared to do that. If I’m doing my job, and I think I do, I have everybody else prepared [for anything].”

There is a chance Dinkins could see something new Saturday, when Mayweather and McGregor step into the ring at T-Mobile Arena. What if McGregor pulls out some of his mixed martial arts moves? How would Mayweather and his camp respond?

“There really hasn’t been anything like this,” he said.

But odds are, whatever does happen, Dinkins will be ready for it, and his team will follow his lead
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