According to footage obtained Thursday by TMZ, Mike Tyson appeared to fight a fellow passenger on a Wednesday night flight.
A witness claimed to the gossip site that Tyson, who had boarded a Florida-bound jet from San Francisco, had talked with a fellow passenger previous to the incident, with the former heavyweight even posing for a selfie.
Another passenger is seen filming the exchange while the passenger behind Tyson’s seat is seen conversing animatedly. However, things went from bad to worse when Tyson became enraged with a passenger who had refused to leave him alone, and the former heavyweight champion then delivered a series of blows from over his seat.
According to a source close to Tyson, the passenger was “very inebriated” and “wouldn’t stop provoking” him, which led to a barrage of fists.
According to a witness, Tyson “walked off the plane barely seconds later,” while the passenger, who is visible in the film with a wounded forehead, received medical assistance.
“My boy just got beaten up by Mike Tyson,” a passenger who was allegedly watching the ordeal shouted from behind the camera. “Yeah, he’s messed up.”
The injured passenger is also believed to have reported the incident to the police.
Tyson was sentenced to prison in 1992 after being convicted of rape. He was sentenced to six years in prison, but he was freed in 1995 after serving less than three years.
With his boxing career behind him, Tyson has adopted a more laid-back public demeanor, admitting to smoking marijuana. With wrestling great Ric Flair, the 55-year-old is creating a cannabis enterprise.
This week’s incident came only weeks after Tyson was confronted by another aggressive fan at a comedy club, where the former boxer remained calm and even hugged the fan, who was armed.
