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Mike Tyson was born during a time period of racism and poverty. Born in Brooklyn, many like to say that on June 30, 1966, a champion was born. Tyson was born into a family of four. His mother, Lorna, was well into her second marriage. Tyson’s father Jimmy Kirkpatrick, had also had two other children prior to Mike. Rodney was the oldest and then there was Denise. While pregnant with Mike, Lorna’s husband left her in Brooklyn with three children to raise on her own. Lorna began to drink regularly and eventually wound up on welfare. When the heating bill could not be paid the family slept in their clothes many nights. Mike had to put cardboard in his shoes to cover the holes. They lived day to day speculating when their next meal would be. Most of the time it consisted of flour and water. All three children suffered but it seemed the youngest boy suffered the most. “Big Head Mike” as the neighbors dubbed him, was harassed and ridiculed for every oddity of appearance and character. He was beaten by other children for everything from his lisp to his worn out shoes. By age nine Tyson began to keep pigeons in a coop on the roof of his apartment building. Other kids would steal his pigeons and he would