It does raise the question: who would have won?
Mike Tyson dominated boxing in his prime.
He carried ferocious energy and a readiness to explode.
There was also the infamous biting of Evander Holyfield’s ear.
The nickname “primate pugilist” is an unexpected fit for him.
In a recent interview with The Sun, Tyson recounted offering cash to trade blows with a silverback gorilla.
The retired boxer says the episode took place in the 1980s at an unnamed zoo in New York.
He says he and his then-wife Robin Givens were touring the zoo after hours.
“I paid a worker at New York’s zoo to re-open it just for me and Robin. When we got to the gorilla cage there was one big silverback gorilla there just bullying all the other gorillas. 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 snotbox! He declined,” said Tyson.
Tyson’s dislike of bullies seems almost admirable.
His wish to enter a gorilla cage, however, reads differently.
Who would have won?
Many reckon Tyson would not have stood a chance.
Reddit users largely agree he would have been overwhelmed.
Very few scenarios posted suggest Tyson could have triumphed.
“There’s a guy out there who gets to tell all his friends, ‘I turned down 10 grand to save Mike Tyson from a gorilla once.’”
Tyson has a history with exotic animals.
He once owned three Royal Bengal tigers, reportedly costing $262,392.
The tigers were later removed and placed in an undisclosed sanctuary.
He still keeps pigeons.
Now at 52, Tyson is unlikely to tussle with gorillas or many fighters.
He has swapped that life for a 40 acre cannabis ranch in California.
Tyson will host a cannabis-friendly music festival on February 23.
Talk about changing your life around.