Mike Tyson, in the years since his retirement from the square ring, has popped up in modern media, film, and television, making himself as ubiquitous as his boxing record. And while other famous athletes and sports personalities from his time slowly receded to the backdrop of popular culture, Tyson commanded the world’s attention – foremost by appearing in the epic Hangover film (albeit for a reason not many of us were happy about after learning the truth).

Now, as the boxing legend slowly but surely starts to regain his public image, it is time to revisit one of the quirkiest, and perhaps most eccentric of his habits in the days since hanging up his gloves and gear.

Mike Tyson (R) goes up against Tim Dahlberg (L)

Mike Tyson’s Shared Life With His Three Pet Bengal Tigers

The legendary offensive boxer who made a name for himself by being one of the best within the ring and displaying an eccentric personality outside of it, i.e. Mike Tyson has been the proud owner of three pet tigers that, not unlike himself, have found themselves at the height of fame by association. Named Boris, Storm, and Kenya, the three Bengal tigers were residents of the Tyson household over the course of the 1990s and 2000s.

Keeping in rhythm with their owner’s wildly controversial life outside the ring, the tigers too were infamous for their rare arrival and upbringing. Bought in exchange for cars, Mike Tyson acquired two of the three tigers as cubs while serving a prison sentence on r*pe charges in 1992. As Tyson later recalled:

“I was in jail, talking to one of my friends who I bought exotic cars from. He told me that a friend of his owed him money. And he said, ‘If you don’t pay me money, I’ll take some of these cars and trade them for some animals.’ I said, ‘What kind of animals?’ He said, ‘Horses and stuff. Mike, they also have some nice tigers and lions. If you had one of those, that would be great,’ I asked, ‘Why don’t you order me a pair? I’ll be out in a couple of months.’ So when I got out I came home and I had two cubs.”

Mike Tyson with his big cat

Despite spending decades in peace, one of the tigers, who Tyson took out on a walk around the LA neighborhood where he resided, jumped over a neighbor’s fence and attempted to eat their dog. Later that evening, Tyson called his now-former manager claiming: “The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is here, I can’t keep the animals in captivity.”

The boxer let go of the three Bengals who now reside at a sanctuary while he traded in his rare exotic hobby for a much more domestic one – with a poodle named Mars and a flock of pigeons.

Mike Tyson Reveals Why He Stopped Sleeping With the Tigers

In the years that followed the arrival of the cubs, having been brought up in the company of humans, Mike Tyson’s tigers rarely showed a violent streak insomuch that the boxer felt comfortable enough to sleep with them on his bed. The information, as can be expected did not pan out so well with the audience. However, once they got older, it became less bearable, although not because of the usual reasons one might expect. In an episode of Hotboxin’, Tyson revealed:

“They start farting at night, and it f–ks everything–aw man, you can’t imagine that sh*t, man. You have to crack the windows, oh sh*t. F–k that. It’s indoors too. I say, ‘Why you let these motherf–kers in here, Mike?’ You can’t get rid of it because it’s like fart and piss and f–king stains in the wall, on the floor, on the rug, mother f–ker. So I got them their own house, and I put them in the house. I bought the house next door, and I made that their house.”

Mike Tyson’s exotic white Bengal tiger

These days, Tyson remains embroiled in a war of words and a battle of wills with Hulu for their appropriation of his life in the series, Mike, which he claims was filmed without his consent. The boxer has also been attempting to make a film based on his life, to no avail, especially after Jamie Foxx was dropped from the project.

Source: Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson