Former heavyweight champ visits Sunset Beach

Mike Tyson in Sunset Beach

By Chris McDonald

Legendary Boxer Mike Tyson, training for a November exhibition boxing match with fellow former heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr., has recently eaten twice at Sunset Beach’s Himalayan Grill. “He likes the protein he’s getting from our specially-prepared chicken, lamb, goat, lobster & veggies,” said restaurant owner, Amrit Mahato from Nepal. “I wished him well for the big fight.”

Assistant Pastor Craig Peterson and 15 others from the nearby Calvary Chapel of the Harbour, said they noticed Tyson’s photo with Mahato on the wall. “Maybe the fighter also likes the serenity here,” Peterson said. “When you’re eating outside in the covered patio, you’d think you’re in the hills of Himalaya. It’s so peaceful.”

According to ESPN, Tyson, 54, once the youngest heavyweight champion in history, reportedly is working out to fight Jones, 51, in an 8-round exhibition at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson on Nov. 28th. The bout was originally scheduled for September.

The Himalayan Grill, which specializes in food from India, Tibet & Nepal, has been a Sunset Beach fixture for 12 years, starting at Peters Landing Marina and temporarily moving this year to the neighboring, vacant “Original Sam’s Seafood” structure on Pacific Coast Highway. Next year, they’ll return to a newly rebuilt location at Peters Landing.

The restaurant, which has won awards for “Best Nepalese Indian Food,” is open 7 days a week from 11:00am to 9:30pm at 16278 Pacific Coast Highway. You can learn more at: http://www.himalayan-grill.com; 562-592-9080.