Video shows Mike Tyson pummeling plane passenger after apparent harassment
It appears harassing Mike Tyson and allegedly throwing a water bottle at him is a very bad idea. Who knew?
Video of the former heavyweight champion boxer pummeling a fellow passenger in a plane went viral Thursday, with TMZ reporting the incident to have taken place Wednesday night on a JetBlue flight from San Francisco International Airport to Florida.
Tyson reportedly walked off the plane seconds after the confrontation.
TMZ presents the video as a play in three acts: the passenger appearing to harass Tyson while sitting behind him, Tyson in the middle of introducing said passenger to his fists and the passenger seemingly making a mock pouting face while sporting some cuts on the side of his head.
That video show the entirety of what happened, but TMZ claims a witness said the passenger was heavily intoxicated and wouldn't stop trying to goad Tyson after the boxer took a selfie with his friend.
The man reportedly received medical attention and spoke with police after the incident. A San Francisco Police Department spokesperson told ESPN's Mike Coppinger that he provided "minimal details" to the police and refused to cooperate with the investigation.
Tyson's camp claimed the passenger had not only harassed Tyson, but threw a water bottle at him, per ESPN:
"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," a spokesperson for Tyson told ESPN on Thursday.
It has been 17 years since Tyson's last professional boxing match, but the former champion has stayed active, most recently facing fellow champion Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match in November 2020.
