Mike Tyson vows not to take public flights after plane fight
No charges were filed following the incident
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Mike Tyson has said he will no longer take public flights after he was involved in an incident that saw him beat up a fellow passenger.
Video footage went viral last month after the world heavyweight champion was seen punching a man on board a commercial flight.
Tyson was later detained and said the altercation was sparked after the passenger had thrown a plastic bottle in his direction and was acting aggressively.
No charges were filed against Tyson following the incident and the man’s representatives denied that a bottle had been thrown.
“At a certain point, Mr Tyson clearly became agitated by an overly excited fan and began to strike him in an excessive manner,” his attorney said.
And with the incident now thought to be closed, Tyson has told his Hotboxin’ podcast: “Yes, they said they ain’t gonna pick up charges.
“He was f*****g with me, man. I took pictures with [him]. I shouldn’t even be taking public planes. My wife gets mad I take public planes.”
Video shows Tyson punching the fan ahead of the JetBlue flight from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale in April.
TMZ reported that the interaction with Tyson and the fan was cordial at first, with a witness saying he greeted the boxer and got his taken picture with him along with one of his friends.
But soon, Tyson wanted the man to be quiet and when he kept talking, Tyson stood up, turned around and punched him several times in the face.
“Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey Mike, come on, stop that,” a witness can be heard saying in the viral video.
Another video from the flight shows the moments just after the altercation, with the man filming the video saying “my boy just got beat up by Mike Tyson”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments