Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Ben Davies

Boxing fan pokes Mike Tyson in the face just days after legend punched passenger

Mike Tyson was antagonised by a boxing fan who put her finger in his face last weekend, just days after the legend punched a passenger on a flight.

The legendary heavyweight was recently filmed hitting a passenger on a flight bound for San Fransisco, with the victim later identifying himself as Melvin Townsend III who has since been accused of harassing Tyson. Tyson claimed he had a bottle of water thrown over him during the incident, an allegation which was denied.

Another fan has now attempted to antagonise Tyson during the latest viral incident, after he made an appearance ringside at Shakur Stevenson's victory over Oscar Valdez in Las Vegas. The 55-year-old stopped to take photos with fans when a woman leaned over and put her finger in his face in a bid to encourage the star into taking a photo of her own.

Tyson immediately turned around to confront the fan and was visibly aggrieved by her actiosn where she almost put her finger up his nose. The woman quickly apologised claiming that her action was an accident, pleading in the video: "I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”

Security staf walking with Tyson were available to de-escalate the tense situation with several fans gathering around the American. Tyson promptly turned away and made an exit from the room with the woman emerging from the situation without prompting a significant reaction.

Misfortunes have continued for Tyson after his previous incident with fans seemingly taking receiving the legend's attention to a whole new level. However he has since received support from several high-profile figures in the aftermath of the incident with heavyweight champion Tyson Fury jumping to his defence.

" Mike Tyson is a real O.G. and you can't mess with Mike because you don't know what he's going to do," he told Piers Morgan. "The fun police will be on Mike to get cancelled but how long can you prod a lion with a stick? He's not the man you want to prod. If he's man enough to prod Mike Tyson, touch him and abuse him, then man up and take a punch in the face. He should be paying Mike. Now he can say he's been punched in the face by a legend. I'd pay for that myself."

The passenger on the plane from the previous incident has since declared he will not press charges, despite protesting his innocence that he did not antagonise the former undisputed heavyweight champion. “Our client is a big Mike Tyson fan," said the victim's lawyer in a statement. "When Mike Tyson boarded the plane, he became overly excited. At first, their interaction was cordial.

"At a certain point, Mr. Tyson clearly became agitated by an overly excited fan and began to strike him in an excessive manner. 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."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.