Mike Tyson was forced to sell his pet tiger after it bit off a woman's arm

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has opened up about the painful decision to part ways with his pet tiger, Kenya. Tyson, who once owned three Bengal tigers, donated two to an animal sanctuary due to their high maintenance needs.

However, he kept Kenya for 16 years until a tragic accident resulted in a woman losing her arm. Tyson, who is set to come out of retirement to fight Jake Paul on November 15, reportedly purchased the £55,000 tiger after his release from prison in 1992 following a rape conviction.

Their bond ended abruptly when a woman allegedly trespassed into Kenya's enclosure. "I did have a pet tiger, her name was Kenya and she was around 550 pounds (250 kilograms)," Tyson shared with GQ in 2019.

"I had a great affection for her; I kept her, I slept with her, I kept her in my room."

"She stayed with me I had her about 16 years. She was a massive monster, you can't imagine the size of her. But she got too old and I had to get rid of her when her eyes and her head got bad. Oh, and she ripped somebody's arm off.", reports the Mirror.

Tyson refuted rumours that Kenya escaped her habitat, insisting instead that it was her territory that was invaded. He claimed in separate interviews that the woman jumped the fence into the enclosure and began interacting with the big cat before the situation escalated.

Tyson has also recounted an incident where a woman who was injured by his pet tiger tried to take him to court. Although she didn't win the lawsuit, Tyson revealed that he provided her with compensation regardless.

Chatting with Fat Joe during an Instagram Live in 2020, Tyson shared: "When I saw what the tiger did to her hand, I had a lot of money back then, so I gave her $250,000, whatever it was because she was just f****d up."

Looking forward, 'The Baddest Man on the Planet' is gearing up to channel his ferocity as he prepares for his bout with Paul next Friday.