Mike Tyson has become an infamous figure, both inside and outside the ring. He holds the record as the youngest boxer to ever win a Heavyweight title, solidifying his legacy at just 20 years old.
Outside of the ring, he was known for his violent onslaughts, both verbally and physically - but what is it that caused both this violence and the passion that led to him being a legend of his era?
Perhaps the stem of all of Mike’s success and struggle came from the death of one of his first pigeons, of which he always had a passion for looking after.
Here’s the story...
Mike robbed a house and used the money he took to buy a few pigeons. Unfortunately, opposing criminals in his neighbourhood wanted to “tax” Mike for his criminal activity. The group of kids thought that by taking Mike’s pigeons, this would count as a form of punishment. After Mikes refusal, one of the kids racially abused Mike and then instantly tore the head off the pigeon.
Instantly, Mike felt pure pain and was pressured by the kids to fight the brute who took away something of value from Mike - being the first real fight that Mike Tyson ever had. From there, he knew exactly what pain was and channeled it into boxing, leading to him being one of the most infamous boxers to ever grace the planet.
Rather poetically, the retired champion now owns thousands of pigeons in his own coop. The reason he feels passionate about his pigeons now is because he said it reminds them of his childhood, perhaps as a bizarre way of somehow spiritually reshaping his life as he admits that he has so many regrets from his younger years.
So, perhaps it was the death of his pigeon that kickstarted the pain and passion within one of the greatest Boxers to ever enter the ring.
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