Legendary boxing champion Mike Tyson, is widely considered to be one of the best heavyweight fighters of all time. He won his first title at the age of 20 and went on to set countless boxing records before retiring in 2005.
The 56-year-old has since dabbled into movies and other business ventures outside of the ring. However, those skills that once wowed fans have not vanished, as fans recently saw the ex-boxer pummel a passenger who looked to be bothering him in a video that has gone viral.
Although first keeping mute about the ordeal, Tyson has now come forward to offer a firsthand account of what happened and tendered an apology for his actions.
Mike Tyson: ‘I Was Wrong’
During his appearance on Thursday Night on Jimmy Kimmel’s eponymous show, “Iron Mike” added his voice to the growing opinions about his altercation with a passenger on a flight.
“Hey listen, I’m usually good at these things,” Tyson told Jimmy Kimmel on his show Thursday night.
“I was wrong, that should’ve never happened. That’s me back in my primitive child stages, I shouldn’t have done that, but I was just irritated, tired, high, and pissed off. S–t happens!”
“I don’t wanna hurt nobody!” he added.
Following the altercation going viral, social media was awash with comments, with several individuals asserting that Tyson should not have reacted while others thought that the passenger had it coming.
Tyson’s statement seemed to indicate that the passenger came to him at a time when he was not in the mood to enter such actions to engage in such behavior; things may have turned out differently if the meet-up had happened at a different moment.
The Incident
The Blast reported on the brutal altercation that went down on the plane. TMZ received a video showing a man on the seat behind Tyson eagerly chatting to the former heavyweight champion while leaning over the 55-year-old.
“Hey, Mike, come on. Stop it,” someone can be heard yelling in a second film as Tyson repeatedly pounds the passenger in question.
The individual speaking with Tyson in the first clip also appeared to capture the aftermath of the incident.
“Yeah, he got f–ked up. Just trying to ask for an autograph, man. I don’t know what happened,” the individual who seemed to be the victim’s buddy said. Tyson was eventually ejected from the plane along with the bleeding and injured passenger for violating flying rules.
Joe Rogan Backed Mike Tyson
One of Tyson’s supporters following the altercation was UFC commentator Joe Rogan who publicly commented that the passenger made the wrong move by annoying Tyson.
“That dude was a douchebag, and he was annoying one of the baddest motherf–kers that’s walked the face of the Earth. That’s so dumb,” he said during an episode of his podcast with actor Dan Soder. That’s not even kicking a beehive. It’s headbutting a beehive.”
Rogan seemed to have unknowingly referenced Tyson’s famous quote, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face,” which genuinely played out in the altercation. From the result of the ordeal, the passenger, named Melvin Townsend III, bit off more than he could chew.
Townsend hired an attorney to sue Tyson a few days after the fight. However, because Tyson was not prosecuted for his activities, it’s unknown if he’s reached a financial agreement with him.
A Fight With Jake Paul
Tyson was later questioned about a hypothetical boxing battle with Jake Paul during his chat with Jimmy Kimmel. Although the two are friends, Tyson is definitely open to the idea if the right steps are taken.
“That could be very interesting,” he said. “I never took it really serious, but that could be really interesting.”
Kimmel would later post on Twitter clips of passerby’s responses to questions about Tyson the following day.
Dubbed “Mike Tyson is right behind you,” fans were shocked to see the boxer emerge from a hidden door once they answered the questions.
“He was the most exciting to watch ever! Everyone watched Tyson fights! Awesome guy!” one follower commented on the handle.
I was busy building a career when Mike Tyson was coming up in the boxing world. I did not ever see a fight until just recently watching old films. I would say I am a fan of Mike Tyson and I am very happily surprised to see that he is more intellectual than one might otherwise think. If he wants to get back in the ring that is certainly his prerogative but from my perspective he has nothing to prove. Best wishes on your future wherever that path may take you.