Heavyweight boxing legend and Brooklyn native Mike Tyson has always loved breeding and raising pigeons. These birds have been an integral part of his life since his childhood. In fact, Mike threw his first punch when a neighborhood bully killed one of his beloved pigeons and threw it in his face. Of course, Mike would go on to become one of the most famous, and infamous, champions in boxing (and sports) history. And through it all, his pigeons and rooftop coops remained his one constant and secret solace. Now, in the new Animal Planet series Taking on Tyson, debuting March 6, at 10 PM e/p, Mike goes beyond just raising his feathered friends — he races them for the very first time. With unprecedented access to the neighborhood haunts he grew up in, and in the company of the lifelong friends who surround him, Mike takes audiences on an insider's tour of the highly competitive, bizarrely fascinating subculture of pigeon racing. The stakes are high in this sport, which has just as much machismo as boxing. But this time it's not about money; it's about bragging rights.
