June 30

Michael Gerard Tyson's Birthday
 

Rapist, film star, cannibal, pigeon fancier, ex-con, prizefighter, bipolar cocaine addict, Broadway baby- just a few of the diverse of persona that define Mike Tyson   We were somewhat hesitant to feature Mike in this book since he has had a reputation for erratic behavior. But the man who was once the most ferocious and feared boxer to step into the ring has allegedly mellowed somewhat over the past few years and so this bioette and recipe may be a risk worth taking.

Mike had a reputation for being brutal both in and out of the ring. In the ring, his victories over Pinklon Thomas, Tony Tubbs, Larry Holmes, Tyrell Biggs and Michael Spinks were legendary and confirmed his status as the best boxer in the world. Mile won the WBC title in November 1986 at the age of twenty becoming the youngest heavyweight champion ever. Then he ripped the WBA crown from James "Bonecrusher" Smith before beating Tony Tucker for the IBF championship. The most of his publicized troubles began.

His marriage to actress Robin Givens came to a head when Mike and Robin gave a joint interview with Barbara Walters on the ABC TV how 20/20 in September 1988, in which Givens described life with Tyson as "torture, pure hell, worse than anything I could possibly imagine," Givens also described Tyson as "manic depressive" on national television while Tyson looked on with an intent and calm expression.  A month later, Givens announced that she was seeking a divorce for  physical and mental abuse. Then Mike his world championship to James "Buster" Douglas in Tokyo in February 1990. According to Joe Layden in his book The Last Great Fight: The Extraordinary Tale of Two Men and How One Fight Changed Their Lives Forever, the Tyson/ Douglas fight was essentially the beginning of the end of boxing's popularity in mainstream sports.

Mike was jailed for rape in 1992 and released in 1995. after which he went on the comeback trail and fought against Peter McNeeley and Buster Mathis Jr., which he won easily. In the 89-second fight when McNeeley crumpled almost immediately . Mike's management lined up easily defeatable and unworthy boxers for his return Mike then regained one belt by winning the WBC title from Frank Bruno  in March 1996 by knocking him out in the third round and added the WBA belt by defeating champion Bruce Seldon in one round in September 1996 Mile was then beaten by Evander Holyfield in November 1996. A rematch in June 1997 saw him bite a chunk of Holyfield's ear off - an act that earned him worldwide condemnation for his unleashed cannibalistic tendencies. Mike subsequently filed for bankruptcy and faced drug charges.

On the front page of USA Today on June 3, 2005, Tyson was quoted as saying: "My whole life has been a waste – I've been a failure." He continued: "I want to get this part of my life over as soon as possible. In this country nothing good is going to come of me. People put me so high; I wanted to tear that image down." Tyson began to spend much of his time tending to his 350 pigeons in Paradise Valley, near Phoenix, Arizona. Mike was subsequently diagnosed with bipolar disorder

On May 25, 2009, Tyson's 4-year-old daughter Exodus was found  unconscious and tangled in a cord, dangling from an exercise treadmill. and subsequently died In 2010, Mike revealed during an appearance on The View that that he was living from  paycheck to paycheck, and went on  to admit "I'm totally destitute and broke. But I have an awesome life, I have an awesome wife who cares about me. I'm totally broke. I had a lot of fun. It (losing his money) just happened. I'm very grateful. I don't deserve to have the wife that I have; I don't deserve the kids that I have, but I do, and I'm very grateful."

In September 2011, Mike gave an interview in which he made comments about former Alaska governor Sarah Palin that included crude and violent descriptions of interracial sex which  made some fear that his predilection of violence against women may still present a threat.  In 2012, Mike launched his stage career with a one-man show Mike Tyson: Undisputed  directed by Spike Lee and written by his third wife Kiki and Randy Johnson,  Let's hope that this reincarnation may be more substantive than some of his past attempts. .

So to celebrate Mike's birthday, we suggest viewing the 2008 documentary Tyson which received exceptional praise at its debut premiered at the a Cannes Film Festival and enjoying a plate of pigs' ears . Just to prove that old adages such as "'you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear: which dates from the 16th century, are not always true, there is a wonderful German recipe called Schweine Ohren (Pig's Ears)  which we are featuring here.  While there are recipes for actual pig's ears which are not that popular except for the picked pigs ears which, like picked pigs feet are an acquired tastes,  we would rather not encourage Mike to bite any part of us for an unflattering recipe for his birthday.

Schweine Ohren
(Pigs' Ears)

1. Preheat oven to 400° F . Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
2. Unroll puff pastry sheets on a dry, lightly floured surface. Sheets should be about 1/2 cm thick. Spread sugar liberally over the entire surface of each sheet. Tightly roll or fold up the pastry from each side of the sheet to meet in the middle. It will look like face to face snails. Slice the roll into 1 cm slices, like a loaf of bread. Lay out on prepared cookie sheet about 2 cm apart.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.