Last updated at 15:55 25 April 2008

He proved he would eat anything when he chewed on opponent Evander Holyfield's ear in the ring 11 years ago.

But it appears boxer Mike Tyson, once known as the "Baddest Man on the Planet" because of his formidable fighting skills, has been enjoying rather finer foods of late.

He is now far from the lean, mean fighting machine that made him famous the world over.

In fact, he was almost unrecognisable as he left the appropriately named Mr Chow's restaurant in Beverly Hills last night thanks to his new, cuddlier physique.

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Heavyweight: Mike Tyson's body is no longer the temple it once was

The father-of-six still holds the title of the youngest world heavyweight champion, but it seems this accolade is almost all that is left of his previous life.

About the only recognisable part of Tyson today is the famous tattoo on his face.

In a loose blue shirt and grey trousers, he still cuts a formidable figure but it is now due to his size rather than his muscle power.

His weight has reportedly ballooned to a monster 20st and it had been thought he was on a punishing detox regime.

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Tyson is almost unrecognisable now compared to when he was in his prime

There has been growing speculation the 41-year-old might be preparing to return to the ring once again for another bout with Holyfield.

It would be their first fight in more than a decade and Tyson has already sounded out his opponent.

However, if these pictures are anything to go by, any potential comeback appears a long way off.

It has also been said he may instead by contemplating a second career as a cage-fighter after refereeing the world cage-fighting championships in Britain two years ago.

Tyson has already made one ill-fated return to boxing after he was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2003 after blowing an estimated £200 million fortune.

A Hollywood biopic of his life, with Jamie Foxx taking on the star part, has already been approved.

Dubbed Iron Mike, the boxer beat 12 of his first 19 victims before the end of the first round - a record that helped him become the most feared fighter on earth.

But he is as equally well-known for his behaviour beyond the ring and his career never quite recovered after he was jailed for rape for three years in 1992.

He managed to regain part of the heavyweight title before losing it to Holyfield in 1996.

Their re-match a year later ended in disqualification for Tyson after he chewed off a section of his opponent's ear.

He eventually retired from competitive boxing in 2005 after consecutive losses to journeymen.