Boxing legend Mike Tyson beats up annoying passenger on flight
Mike Tyson appears to have bashed a passenger on a plane, with a video seeming to show him raining down punches on a man.
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Boxing icon Mike Tyson appears to have punched a passenger on a plane, with a video showing him raining down blows on a man.
Footage obtained by TMZ appears to show a passenger annoying the former heavyweight champion by continually talking to him.
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The incident is reported to have taken place on a Florida-bound JetBlue flight that was scheduled to fly out from San Francisco on Thursday (AEST).
A witness told TMZ that Tyson, 55, told the man to leave him alone, but the boxer started swinging when he refused to back off. The man is sitting in the row behind Tyson and the former boxer is seen reaching over the back of his seat to punch the fellow passenger.
The New York Post reports a source close to Tyson claims the passenger was “extremely intoxicated” and “wouldn’t stop provoking” him, resulting in an onslaught of punches.
Tyson “walked off the plane just seconds later,” per a witness, while the passenger, who is seen with a bloodied forehead in the footage, received medical attention.
“My boy just got beat up by Mike Tyson,” a passenger filming the ordeal apparently said from behind the camera. “Yeah, he got f***ed up.”
US police, the JetBlue airline and Tyson’s representatives made no immediate comment on Thursday.
The New York Post reports Tyson — who launched a cannabis company in recent years — was headed to Miami to be the main speaker at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference, where tickets cost $US3000 a pop.
But organisers sent out an email to attendees saying the champ would be late because he’d missed his flight, though he’d still expected to be interviewed by wrestling legend Ric Flair at the after party.
Tyson was one of the best fighters of all time and won 50 of his 58 fights, reigning as undisputed heavyweight champion of the world from 1987 to 1990.
His life has been mired in controversy, and Tyson was jailed in 1992 for rape.
He regained a heavyweight title following his release after three years, but found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons again when he bit off part of Evander Holyfield’s ear during a title fight.
He would later admit to having a cocaine addiction after being caught driving on drugs.
This latest incident comes just weeks after Tyson encountered another overzealous fan at a comedy club, with the former fighter remaining calm and even hugging the admirer, who brandished a gun during the exchange.
With the New York Post
Originally published as Boxing legend Mike Tyson beats up annoying passenger on flight