Tyson offered zoo keeper £9K to fight gorilla

Mike Tyson has opened up on the time when he offered a zoo keeper £9,000 to fight a silverback gorilla in a cage.
Iron Mike forged a long career in the boxing game, becoming a legend in the process as his lightning speed shocked fans.
He holds the record as the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title after stopper Trevor Berbick in the second round at the age of 20 years, four months and 22 days.
His early career showcased his most frightening talents, winning his first 19 bouts by knockout – 12 of them in the first round.
Controversy has followed the New York-born boxer, including one of the most high-profile events in sport when he took on Evander Holyfield.
On June 28, 1997, the contest between the two was stopped in the third round after Tyson bit his opponent’s ear off and he was disqualified.
Nevertheless, he has never showed fear when taking on another fighter – and it appears not just humans were in his sights.
The 53-year-old has opened up on one occasion when he tried to persuade a zoo keeper to let him fight a silverback gorilla in a cage.
It came about after he bribed a worker to open New York’s zoo for him and his then-wife Robin Givens in the late-80s.
A romantic stroll around the menagerie turned to a challenge for Tyson not long after, when he spotted an alpha male gorilla bullying his subjects.
And Tyson was desperate to give the silverback a taste of his own medicine, trying to pay a zoo keeper off to let him take him on.
Tyson explained: “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.”
Despite this incident, Tyson is a huge animal fan – owning an array of pets over his life-time including exotic birds and a tiger.