Mike Tyson wanted to go viral, but not necessarily by chatting with a giant pigeon, a London court has heard. The boxing icon and his company Tyrannic are being sued for allegedly walking away from a $2 million sponsorship deal with Medier Ltd., promoters of the Rabona gambling brand, per the Independent. Medier says Tyson ditched the “Talking Pigeons” livestream concept—and a planned appearance at a major Amsterdam gaming conference—once his higher-paying $15 million Netflix fight with Jake Paul was confirmed, per Gaming America.
Tyson’s side counters that Medier pushed him into a “goofy” show with a “ridiculous” mascot of a giant pigeon far beyond what his contract required, which they say was limited to him playing casino-style games online, per the Independent. His wife, Lakiha Tyson (aka Lakiha Spicer), who runs Tyrannic, told London’s High Court that they objected to scripts, mascots, and “big puppets,” insisting they weren’t going to make him “the butt of the joke.” “Mike didn’t sign up to do a show with stuffed animals,” she noted.