Among the many relationships Mike Tyson has forged over the years, splitting from his pet tiger may rank as one of the most painful.

The former world heavyweight boxing champion once owned three Bengal tigers, but he donated two to an animal sanctuary after deciding they required too much care. The remaining tiger, Kenya, remained in his care for 16 years – until a disastrous accident led to their split and one woman being down a limb.

Tyson – who will come out of retirement to fight Jake Paul on November 15 – reportedly bought the $70,000 specimen when he was released from prison after being convicted of rape in 1992. However, their relationship came to an unfortunate end when a woman allegedly entered Kenya’s enclosure.

“I did have a pet tiger, her name was Kenya and she was around 550lbs (250 kilograms),” Tyson told 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.”

Contrary to rumours suggesting Kenya got out of her habitat, Tyson claimed it was her territory that was invaded. In separate interviews, ‘Iron Mike’ said that the woman jumped the fence into the enclosure and started playing with the big cat before things took a turn. Tyson has even detailed how the maimed woman attempted to sue the boxing icon over the ordeal. She didn’t succeed in doing so, but the former heavyweight champion said he still stumped up some compensation.

Speaking on an Instagram Live chat with rapper Fat Joe in 2020, Tyson said: “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—– up.” ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ will be looking to unleash his own inner beast when he goes toe-to-toe with Paul next Friday.