TCA: Mike Tyson and Piers Morgan – The Pigeon Feud That Wasn’t

Ex-champ perfectly happy to be called a “pigeon fancier.”

Hours after Piers Morgan told a roomful of TV writers that Mike Tyson was one of his least pleasant interviews, Tyson squashed any chance of a feud with the perfect brushoff: "I don't remember even talking to Piers Morgan."

Morgan, promoting his new show on CNN, told the Television Critics Association that Tyson took offense when he called him a "pigeon fancier" and that he feared retribution from Tyson's bodyguard.

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Tyson later took the same stage to promote his pigeon racing show on Discovery's Animal Planet, "Taking on Tyson." He conceded he's been unpleasant at times, but didn't seem to have anything against the term "pigeon fancier." He even used it to describe himself.

"It's different times," he said. "That was then, this is now."

Don't look for a feud with Michael Vick, either. Asked about the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and his past with dogfighting, Tyson said Vick had done his time and made an "incredible comeback" but was otherwise noncommital.

"I'm just here to talk about pigeons and stuff," the former heavyweight champion said.

Tyson clarified that the birds he breeds, trains and races on the show aren't the typical city birds, calling them "the creme de la creme of the pigeon world."

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