Mike Tyson: “A pigeon caused my first fight.”
Mike Tyson has loved pigeons since he was nine years old, claiming that they were an escape from the bullying he had to endure as a child for being overweight.
Tyson got into his first fight after a bully ripped his pigeon’s head off right in front of him. Since then, he has developed a special connection with these birds and travels around the world to buy and race his prized pigeons.
After he was picked on for being overweight as a kid, Thyson made friends with the neighborhood pigeons. He says, “Pigeons were my first love, they were my escape”. When he was around 11 years old, an older bully kidnapped his favorite pigeon, ripped off its head, and poured the blood all over him. Crying and covered in the blood of his beloved pet, young Mike threw out his first-ever punch and won the fight.
Tyson has owned thousands of pigeons in his life and has custom bird coupes at each one of his mansions. Over the years, they have remained a major source of joy and comfort to the fighter. He even broke up with an ex-girlfriend after she got annoyed and suggested that he eat the birds.