Just who was brave enough to eat one of ex-heavyweight champ Tyson's pigeons

By
Mike Dawes

PUBLISHED:

11:33 GMT, 26 April 2013

|

UPDATED:

19:08 GMT, 26 April 2013

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He's famous as a fearsome fighter, but Mike Tyson has a surprising soft spot for his beloved pigeons.

And now the former heavy weight champion has revealed he was traumatised after an unnamed ex-girlfriend cooked and ate one of his birds in front of him.

The 46-year-old, who has called pigeon racing his 'first love' and at one pointed owned up to 350 birds, recalled the incident during a interview on US sports talk-radio show Boomer & Carton.

Scroll down to listen

Pretty bird: Mike Tyson with one of his many beloved pigeons

When asked if he had ever eaten one
of his animals, he said: 'I tried. I was dating this young lady and she
said, “I don’t know why you’re flying those damn birds, you should be
eating them.”

'She happened to grab one and — and she cooked one and proceeded to eat it. And I just couldn’t do it.'

'You loved that pigeon so much,' host Craig Carton responded.

'Well, ‘cause he’s got a relationship with the pigeons,' co-host Boomer Esiason interjected.

'It just wasn’t the right thing to do,' Tyson added. 'That’s why she’s not my woman anymore.'

Audio: Mike Tyson says ex-girlfriend ate one of his beloved…

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Highs and lows: Tyson twice beat Frank Bruno but suffered defeat to Evander Holyfield.. and bit his ear

Mike Tyson bites Evander Holyfield

When
asked why he even allowed the ex-girlfriend to eat the bird in the
first place, Tyson responded: 'It was her house and we were living off
of her dime, so she could do [it].'

The Hangover star, who infamously bit Evander Holyfield ear in a 1997 fight, has previously said he adored birds since he nine.

'They were my escape,' he said. 'I was fat and ugly. Kids teased me all the time. The only joy I had was pigeons.'

Current love: The former heavyweight boxer with third wife Lakiha Spicer at the Scary Movie 5 LA premiere

Days gone by: Tyson with ex-girlfriends Monica Turner (left) and Luz Whitney