"There was a lion in the front yard loose" - When Charlie Murphy told Joe Rogan the incredible story of Mike Tyson wrestling with his pet lion

There is arguably no man as intimidating in the entire world of combat sports as Mike Tyson was in his prime. At the time, the former heavyweight world champion boxer was one of the most feared men on the planet, both inside and outside the ring.

Tyson once owned several big cats, including lions and tigers, letting them roam around freely in the front yard of his mansion. 'Iron Mike' can even be seen playfully wrestling with his tigers in some clips from the time.

During a conversation with Joe Rogan, the late American actor Charlie Murphy narrated an intriguing story about Mike Tyson wrestling with his pet lion. Murphy apparently watched in shock as the lion roamed freely in Tyson's front yard. While he chose to stay in the car, Murphy said that Tyson was wrestling with the lion.

"Mike Tyson is lying in his front yard. That's the only man whose house I went over, there was a lion in the front yard, loose. He was on the steps like this [imitating Tyson] with his heavyweight belt. Mike Tyson had a lion. It was off the leash man. It was not in the cage, it was in the yard. They came and started wrestling with him. It was big, man, it was a lion. Came over there and grabbed him and started tussling with him," Murphy said.

Check out Charlie Murphy's conversation with Joe Rogan below:

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When Mike Tyson's pet lion bit him and he had to lie to the doctor about it

Tyson was never shy of getting up-close and personal with his wild cats but on one occasion, it didn't turn out to be a wise move for him. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Tyson revealed that his pet lion once bit him and he had to get many stitches to patch up the wound.

Fearing he'd have to give the lion away if he told the doctor the truth about how he got the cut, Mike Tyson lied. Tyson told the doctor that he had been bitten by a dog:

"I had a lion that bit me. That was really bad. Tyson ended up having to get a ton of stitches to deal with the wound, but lied to the doctors about how he got it. And I winded up getting a Tetanus shot. I had lied and said a dog bit me, ‘cause they would’ve took my cat if I’d told them."