According to Reuters, he has 2,500 birds spread across various locations. He went on to explain that he got into his first fight at age 11, when one of his neighborhood bullies snuck onto the roof, grabbed one of Tyson’s beloved birds, and tore off its head.Įven once he’d achieved fame and riches, Tyson continued to raise pigeons. I don’t know why… I feel ridiculous trying to explain it,” Tyson said in the documentary Taking on Tyson. “The first thing I ever loved in my life was a pigeon. As a boy in Brooklyn, he spent $100 of his own hard-earned money to buy a flock that he kept on his roof. Though he has a tough reputation, one of the most interesting Mike Tyson facts is that he has a soft spot for racing pigeons.

Stringer/Getty Images Mike Tyson examines a pigeon at the home of pigeon fancier Horace Watts while in England in 2005. Tyson got into so much trouble that he was sent to the Tryon School for Boys - where Tyson fatefully developed his boxing skills. He said that he committed “burglaries, pick-pocketing, snatching jewelry… One-punch knockout and then go in their pocket, robbery.” “I was just afraid, so afraid.” Mike Tyson Was Arrested Dozens Of Times Before The Age Of 12Īccording to Heavy, Mike Tyson told the Impaulsive with Logan Paul podcast that he was arrested 40 times before the age of 12 while growing up in Brooklyn. “I am just afraid of being treated that way again, of being physically victimized on the streets again,” he said in Tyson: The Movie. In fact, Tyson credits his bullying for his own ferocity in and out of the boxing ring. According to ESPN, Tyson described himself as “a little fat kid with glasses” who was frequently hounded by bullies. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.īelow, look through these Mike Tyson facts and learn a thing or two about the infamous “Iron Mike.” Mike Tyson Was Bullied As A Childīorn on June 30, 1966, Michael Gerard Tyson didn’t initially seem like the kind of boy who would grow up to be a fearsome and powerful fighter. Many today know him for his face tattoo, rape conviction, and an array of exotic pets. Indeed, Tyson is known for much more than just his boxing prowess. Since then - as these Mike Tyson facts prove - he’s made waves both in and out of the ring. Mike Tyson has fascinated the world since he first rose to prominence as a seemingly unbeatable boxer in the 1980s. Wally McNamee/Corbis via Getty Images Mike Tyson looks down at a defeated competitor in this undated photo from early in his career.

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