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Mike Tyson Breaks Silence About Punching Man on Airplane: 'He Was F--king with Me'
May 22, 2022
It does not appear Mike Tyson has any regrets about his airplane altercation that left a heckler bloodied.
Tyson broke down the situation during a recent appearance on the Hotboxin' podcast.
"He was f--kin' with me. ... I took pictures with this n----," Tyson said (20-minute mark). "I shouldn't even be taking public planes. My wife gets mad I take public planes."
Tyson got into an altercation with a fellow passenger on a JetBlue flight in April. Social media posts of the fight showed the man taunting and badgering the former heavyweight champ before Tyson eventually lost his temper and threw several punches.
After reviewing the incident, the San Mateo County District Attorney's office chose not to file any criminal charges on Tyson.
The other passenger, Melvin Townsend III, has retained an attorney, so it's possible Tyson could face a lawsuit. Townsend's attorney categorized him as an "overly excited fan" in a statement released to TMZ in April.
"At a certain point, Mr. Tyson clearly became agitated by an overly excited fan and began to strike him in an excessive manner," the attorney said. "This situation could have been avoided simply by contacting the flight attendant. Our client denies throwing a water bottle prior to being struck by Mr. Tyson."
Witnesses and social media recordings of the fight show Townsend being verbally aggressive.