Mike Tyson Sued for $2M Over Collapsed Gambling Promo Featuring Giant Talking Pigeon

Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson and his wife, Lakiha Spicer, are being sued for nearly $2 million (£1.5 million) in London’s High Court following a dispute over a collapsed endorsement deal with online gaming brand Rabona.

According to court documents obtained by Britain’s Daily Mail, Rabona parent company Medier alleges that Tyson and his company, Tyrannic LLC—controlled by Spicer—breached an agreement by withdrawing from a planned appearance at the iGB (iGaming Business) Live 2024 gambling conference, held July 16–19 of that year in Amsterdam.

Pigeon Impossible

The dispute centers on the nature of the promotional content Medier expected Tyson to perform.

The company planned a livestream titled “Talking Pigeons,” in which Tyson would deliver scripted dialogue with four presenters, including one dressed as a giant pigeon. Tyson was expected to share childhood stories, demonstrate boxing techniques using a mannequin bearing Evander Holyfield’s likeness, and play casino games on Rabona’s website.

Tyson and Tyrannic deny breaching the agreement. Their legal team argues Medier attempted to impose obligations far beyond the contract’s scope. According to Tyson’s attorney, Amanda Hadkiss, the contract limited Tyson’s performance to playing Rabona’s website gambling games.

Hadkiss argued that the proposed pigeon-themed livestream was “of a very different nature” and exceeded what Tyson had agreed to provide. (Lakiha Spicer testified during the London hearing that while the couple wanted content to go viral, they insisted on protecting the Tyson brand rather than making him “look ridiculous”.)

Netflix Deal Was No Joke

According to the filing, Tyson agreed to participate in the Rabona livestream before signing up for an exhibition fight with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. (Tyson’s bout with Paul, originally slated for July 20, 2024, was later postponed to Nov. 15, 2024 and streamed globally on Netflix.)

Medier claims Tyson backed out of his Rabona commitments after securing the far more lucrative Netflix fight, valued at around $15 million. The company argues that after signing with Netflix, Tyson feared his Amsterdam appearance would violate the streaming platform’s restrictions on outside sponsorships during the lead-up to the event.

The contract between Medier and Tyrannic involved an installment-based fee totaling around $1.9 million (£1.5 million). Court documents show Tyson received nearly $190,000 (£145,000) before the parties separated.

Medier’s barrister, Ali Reza Sinai, argued that Tyson and Tyrannic improperly terminated the agreement, calling the Netflix fight “the elephant in the room” and asserting the boxer “simply lost interest” in the Rabona deal.

Hadkiss countered that Tyrannic did not violate the terms of the service contract by declining to participate in an event that exceeded the agreed-upon activities.

The High Court hearing is ongoing.