Former heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson went viral after he was seen repeatedly punching a man who continually harassed him on a JetBlue flight. Now, Tyson’s rep tells TMZ Sports that an object was also thrown at him prior to the incident.
The footage has been circulated on social media today (April 21). The passenger was seated behind Tyson and verbally harassed him repeatedly. A witness says that the passenger was heavily intoxicated.
The legendary boxer took a selfie with a man on the plane who appeared to be accompanying the rowdy passenger. The 55-year-old fighter then sat back down in his seat. The passenger constantly leaned over to speak directly into Tyson’s ear despite the boxer’s request for him to stop.
The passenger, identified only as “George,” also made pouting faces to mock the boxer. That’s when Tyson got up to address him. The flurry of punches against George only lasted a few seconds, and the fan was treated for non life-threatening injuries and refused to cooperate with the police investigation.
“My boy just got beat up by Mike Tyson,” said the man taking the video. One of Tyson’s representatives, Jo Mignano said that the passenger threw a bottle of water at the boxer.
“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,” Tyson’s reps told TMZ.
According to Chicago-based attorney Andrew Stoltmann, the famed boxer could eventually face battery charges. The Federal Aviation Administration notes that unruly passengers can face civil penalties for any misconduct that “can threaten the safety of the flight by disrupting or distracting cabin crew from their safety duties.”
Nicknamed the “Baddest Man on the Planet,” Tyson was the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history at the age of 20 back in 1987. Earlier this week, the boxer made headlines when Joe Rogan joined his “Hotboxin” podcast to smoke weed. The episode was fittingly released on 4/20.