Mike Tyson punches airline passenger after “being provoked.”
A video has emerged of an incident that occurred on a Florida-bound JetBlue plane which seemingly shows Mike Tyson repeatedly punching a fellow passenger in the face.
According to reports, the passenger was “extremely intoxicated” and “wouldn’t stop provoking” Tyson as the plane prepared for departure in San Francisco.
In the video, the provocative man can be heard saying to the boxing legend: “Hey, hey, hey, hey Mike, come on, let’s stop that”.
He is then seen standing over Tyson’s seat, waving his arms and talking animatedly while the former boxer sits quietly.
Tyson, 55, seemed to grow frustrated and told the man to “chill”.
When the fan did not heed the advice, a witness said Tyson started to throw several punches in his direction.
Police confirmed to ESPN that they were called to the incident in San Francisco a little after 10pm. They spoke to two men, neither of whom they identified, before both were released. “That subject provided minimal details of the incident and refused to cooperate further with the police investigation,” an officer said.
The police are aware of the video which had been forwarded to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
Tyson’s spokesperson, meanwhile, claimed the former undisputed world champion had been harassed. “Unfortunately, Mr. Tyson had an incident on a flight with an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat,” he said.
Although the unnamed man did speak to police about the incident, there has been no word of on any charges brought forward against Tyson at this moment in time.
Nicknamed Iron Mike, Tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, 12 of them in the first round.
He claimed his first belt when he was just 20-years-old.