The Hindu : New Delhi News : Beyond boxing: The gentle and caring side of Mike Tyson

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Beyond boxing: The gentle and caring side of Mike Tyson

Staff Reporter

New TV series reveals champ's love for pigeons

‘A part of my life': Iron Mike with pigeons. From the new TV series ‘Taking on Tyson' beginning on June 6.

NEW DELHI: Undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson's passion for fisticuffs is well known but his caring nature towards birds is hardly spoken about. Now the retired American pugilist will be portrayed as a pigeon lover in a new television series beginning June 6 on Animal Planet channel.

“The first thing I ever loved in my life was a pigeon. Pigeons are a part of my life, a constant with my sanity in a weird way. This is just what I do,” says the 44-year-old boxer.

Taking on Tyson highlights the boxer's extraordinary personal journey into the world of birds, coming to terms with his past, present and future. It promises to be an enriching window on Mike's complex life where the road to self-awareness, the path to inner peace and the vision into the future is with these birds.

In the series to be aired from June 6 to 19, Mike goes beyond just raising his feathered friends; he will also race them for the very first time. With access to the neighbourhood haunts he grew up in and lifelong friends, the series introduces viewers to the highly competitive pigeon racing. The stakes are high in a sport that has as much machismo as boxing.

The series highlights the fact that the Brooklyn native known for his intimidating boxing style and his no-holds-barred brawls outside the ring has a gentle and caring side. The fact is that Iron Mike, as he is fondly described by boxing experts and aficionados the world over, simply loves breeding pigeons. The birds have been an integral part of his life since his turbulent childhood.

Difficult to believe but Mike who has had no compunction in throwing punches at anyone who dared to come his way cannot bear the sight of one of his birds getting harmed. In fact, he was compelled to throw his first punch on a neighbourhood bully who crudely snuffed life out of one of his beloved pigeons and threw the carcass on his face.

From there onward Mike went on to become one of the most famous champions in the history of boxing. Even after such a nasty experience, the pugilist continued his love for pigeons.

Viewers will get an inside look at pigeon racing with boxing legend Mike Tyson sharing his fondness and passion for the birds.

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