'Gangster Squad''s Mickey Cohen: 9 Bizarre Facts About the Real-
Life Gangster   Jan 11, 2013  Sean Penn's portrayal of real-life
mobster Mickey Cohen in Gangster Squad is screamingly over-the-
top. But so, too, was the man himself. Here are nine strange
facts about Cohen that didn't make it into the movie—and their
absence makes Penn's acting job look downright understated. 
Back when Mickey Cohen was still a 20-year-old featherweight
boxer, he went down to Tijuana to fight a guy named Carpenter in
front of a bunch of mob bosses Cohen was determined to impress.
He was the better fighter, but Carpenter was a workhorse who
wouldn't stay down even when Cohen socked him good. After the
sixth time Carpenter picked himself up off the mat, Mickey
attacked. As he described it later, “I finally got so upset by
his not staying down that I jump in and start biting his ear
off. So help me, I got it nearly bitten off before the referee
can pry us apart. My opponent runs around hollerin' with a glove
over his bloody ear.