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Mike Tyson involved in altercation with passenger on flight, rep confirms

A video shows the former boxer throwing punches at a passenger who witnesses reportedly said was annoying Tyson after taking a selfie together.
Credit: Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP
Mike Tyson attends a celebrity golf tournament on Aug. 2, 2019, in Dana Point, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

SAN FRANCISCO — Mike Tyson was involved in an onboard squabble with a fellow passenger on a flight from San Francisco to Florida, a representative for Tyson confirmed to Fox Business News. 

The altercation on the JetBlue flight was first reported by TMZ, which also obtained two videos of the incident. In one of the videos, a passenger seated behind Tyson appears to try to talk to the former boxer, who is facing the opposite direction. Moments later, the video shows the man allegedly hit by Tyson with blood on the side of his head.  

In the second video, Tyson appears to stand up and throw punches at the passenger, who is not clearly shown. The man filming appears to try to de-escalate the situation. 

TMZ reports that witnesses onboard described the passenger annoying Tyson as an "overly excited buddy" who kept trying to talk to the 55-year-old boxer after taking a selfie together. The outlet reported that Tyson asked the man to "chill," but he became agitated after the passenger refused to. 

In a statement provided to Fox Business News, a representative for Tyson confirmed the "incident."

"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," the representative said.

Police who responded told TMZ that two people were detained after the incident and one was treated for minor injuries, but that individual "provided minimal details of the incident and refused to cooperate further with the police investigation." 

The SFPD says it is aware of the video of the altercation and has forwarded it to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, TMZ reports. 

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