Boxing legend Mike Tyson once attempted to have a scrap with a gorilla at a zoo. He tried to bribe the zookeeper to open the cage, but his offer was declined.
Mike Tyson was undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with during his prime. “Iron” Mike retired from professional boxing in 2005, leaving behind an impressive legacy.
The former heavyweight world champion had a ferocious style and was a knockout artist, boasting 44 knockouts out of his 50 wins. He also had an intimidating presence that made his opponents uncomfortable before the bout even began.
Young Mike Tyson was also known for his arrogance. In the 1980s, during the peak of his boxing career, Tyson attempted to do something odd. He was at a New York zoo with his former partner Robin Givens.
After paying to keep the zoo open just for them, they were walking near the gorilla enclosure when Tyson noticed a silverback gorilla bullying other primates. He then tried to bribe the zookeeper with a whopping $10,000 to open the cage so he could enter and fight the gorilla himself. However, his offer was rejected.
“I paid a New York zoo worker to re-open it for me and Robin [Givens, former wife, and money manager]. When we got to the gorilla cage, one giant silverback gorilla was there, bullying all the other gorillas,” Tyson said
. “They were so powerful, but their eyes were like an innocent infant. I offered the attendant $10,000 to open the cage and let me smash that silverback’s snot box. He declined.”
If the zookeeper had accepted Tyson’s offer, who knows what might have happened. Tyson is known to have a keen interest in animals. He is fond of pigeons and, in the past, was known for owning exotic animals such as domestic tigers.