Mike Tyson terrified the world with his knockout power and aggressive style. You likely know about the ear bite and the face tattoo. However, his life outside the ring involves pigeons, tigers, and Brad Pitt. He once tried to bribe a zookeeper to fight a gorilla. Furthermore, he built a cannabis empire that sells ear-shaped gummies. Let’s explore the life of Iron Mike.
Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson knocked out Trevor Berbick at just 20 years old to become the youngest heavyweight champion in history. He destroyed the reigning champion in the second round to claim the belt. This record still stands nearly forty years later.
He threw his very first punch because a neighborhood bully ripped the head off his pet pigeon. The traumatic event triggered a rage in him that eventually led him to boxing. To this day, he still keeps hundreds of pigeons as beloved pets.
He kept three Royal Bengal tigers named Kenya, Storm, and Boris in his mansion. He reportedly paid 70,000 dollars for each cat and spent thousands more on their food every month. He eventually had to sell them after one of them bit a person’s arm.
Police arrested him 38 times before he even reached the age of 13. His rough childhood in Brooklyn involved constant fighting and petty crimes. These early run-ins with the law eventually led him to the reform school where he met his first trainer.
He offered a New York zookeeper 10,000 dollars to open a cage so he could fight a silverback gorilla. He felt the dominant male gorilla was bullying the other primates and wanted to teach it a lesson. Fortunately, the zookeeper refused the bribe and kept the cage locked.
He caught a young Brad Pitt in a car with his wife, Robin Givens, during their divorce proceedings. Tyson claims the future movie star looked terrified and begged him not to strike. The boxer let him go without throwing a single punch.
Nintendo paid him to feature in the classic video game Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! but he rarely played it himself. He admitted later that he could not beat his own digital character because the game was too difficult. The company eventually replaced him with “Mr. Dream” after his contract expired.
He originally wanted to tattoo small hearts on his face instead of the famous tribal design. His tattoo artist refused to ink the hearts and sketched the Maori-inspired warrior pattern instead. Tyson agreed to the change just days before a fight.
Furthermore, he famously bit a chunk out of Evander Holyfield’s ear during their 1997 rematch. The referee disqualified him immediately, and the commission revoked his boxing license. He later claimed he did it in retaliation for Holyfield’s headbutts.
Surprisingly, he admits that he agreed to appear in the movie The Hangover solely to fund his drug habit. He showed up to the set high on cocaine and didn’t even know what the movie was about. The cameo revitalized his public image and launched his career in comedy.
Consequently, he knocked out a sanitation worker who threw his dead pigeon into a trash compactor. Tyson had left the bird in a crate to prepare for a burial, but the garbage man tossed it into the truck. The boxer attacked him in a blind fury before retrieving the crate.
Additionally, he built a lucrative cannabis empire called Tyson 2.0 that sells unique edible products. The company released ear-shaped gummies with a bite mark taken out of them to mock his infamous disqualification. Holyfield even partnered with him to promote the “Holy Ears” product line.
However, he lost approximately 100 pounds after his retirement by switching to a strict vegan diet. He blamed his heavy meat consumption for his health issues and lethargy. The plant-based lifestyle helped him regain the energy to perform in exhibition matches.
Moreover, he returned to the ring at age 58 to fight the 27-year-old YouTuber Jake Paul. The controversial match took place at AT&T Stadium in front of millions of streaming viewers. Although he lost by decision, he earned a massive payday for the spectacle.
Finally, he credits hypnosis with helping him overcome his crippling fear before amateur fights. His manager, Cus D’Amato, used psychological techniques to turn his anxiety into aggression. This mental training created the ferocious persona that terrified opponents before the bell even rang.
