Mike Tyson has become embroiled in a £1.5m High Court legal battle for allegedly refusing to appear in a commercial with a giant talking pigeon.The claimant, Medier Ltd, which runs the Rabona online gambling brand, is suing the former undisputed heavyweight world champion and his promotional business, Tyrannic.Tyson’s fight with Paul in 2024, which he lost on points, was at the centre of the lawsuitGettyMedier alleges breach of contract for a January 2024 sponsorship deal.Legal representatives for the firm argue Tyson “simply lost interest” after being presented with his lucrative crossover clash against Jake Paul in 2024.However, Tyson and Tyrannic counter that Medier breached the contract first by requiring him to be in their “Talking Pigeons” promotional video.The concept called for Tyson to read scripts with four presenters—one wearing a pigeon suit— share childhood anecdotes, and give a boxing tutorial on a dummy with fierce rival Evander Holyfield‘s face. Tyson’s lawyers argued that such a performance went “far beyond the scope of what might reasonably be considered to have even been required” under the contract.The defence claims the 60-year-old’s contract was restricted to recording him playing “casino games” or other “approved” features on the site.But Medier’s barrister, Ali Reza Sinai, argued that Tyson and his company breached the agreement by skipping scheduled live streaming events and ending the contract without giving proper notice.Mr Sinai said that Tyson was supposed to attend a major gambling conference in Amsterdam between July 16 and July 19, 2024.He claimed that Tyson and Tyrannic worried attending the Amsterdam event would violate his Netflix contract and disrupt non-fight sponsorship opportunities before his bout with Paul.The court heard that Tyson’s fight with Paul was originally scheduled for July 20, 2024, before it was postponed to November, with ‘Iron Mike’ losing on pointsTyson owns roughly 1000 pigeons across multiple coops in the United StatesGETTYUnder the contract, Tyrannic was to receive a $2 million fee in instalments for Tyson’s involvement. Before the two parties parted ways, Tyson had received nearly $190,000 of that total.A hearing is still ongoing.Tyson’s connection with pigeonsTyson’s love for pigeons is well documented.In his autobiography, he explained how caring for them helped him cope with a difficult childhood in New York.Ironically, Tyson’s first ever fight was over a pigeon.At 10 years old, he knocked out an older boy who killed one of his pets. “I hit with a right, and he went down, and I was stunned. I didn’t know what to do,” Tyson recalled. “It was my first taste of applause.”Watch Boxing on DAZN*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenueSign up to DAZN to access the definitive subscription for boxing fans.Upgrade to DAZN Ultimate from just £24.99/month, guaranteeing access to 185+ fights annually, a minimum of 12 pay-per-views at no extra cost, as well as every Lega Serie A match and other elite football access.Alternatively, DAZN Standard is just £15.99/month, with the caveat you will have to pay for pay-per-view events.Click here to sign up.