Why Is Mike Tyson in the News Again?

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Famed boxer Mike Tyson has been in the news for the last week, somewhat surprisingly since it’s been two years since his last fight and over 15 years since his formal retirement. What happened to put Tyson in the news again? Read on below for all the details.

Who is Mike Tyson?

Mike Tyson is a retired professional boxer who fought professionally from 1985 to 2005 and is widely considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. Tyson had a successful but rocky career, with a rape conviction in 1992 that put him in prison for three years.

Tyson was the first boxer ever to hold the WBA, WBC, and IBF boxing championship titles, the youngest boxer to ever win a heavyweight title, and one of the only boxers ever to regain a heavyweight championship title after losing it. His decorated career landed him spots in both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

What happened?

On Wednesday night last week, Tyson was on a JetBlue airplane from San Francisco to Florida, when he was repeatedly harassed by a highly intoxicated man sitting behind him. The man reportedly threw a water bottle at Tyson and continued to pester him throughout the course of the flight.

When the man refused to stop and continued to harass him, Tyson turned around in his seat and punched the man in the face multiple times. A video of the altercation shows the man provoking Tyson, then Tyson turning and hitting the man, and the man afterward with blood on his face.

Is the man pressing charges?

The man who Tyson punched was treated for his injuries following the altercation, but no significant damage was done, and it looks to just be some minor bleeding. As the man was heavily intoxicated during the flight, he was uncooperative with the police following the events and chose not to share his side of the story. He has stated that he will not be pressing charges.

As can be seen in the video, the man seems to simply be an over-excited fan of Tyson’s who had too much to drink. The man’s friend took a picture with Tyson before the encounter took place.

The man’s lawyer said that although no legal action will be taken, Tyson should have spoken to a flight attendant instead of retaliating physically. As a professional fighter, Tyson would typically be held to a higher standard by police and judges and could have even faced an assault or battery charge.

Is Tyson still fighting?

While Tyson retired from professional boxing 17 years ago, he has kept in great shape and taken on a few exhibition fights since then, the most recent being against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020.

Even at age 55, a punch from Tyson is something to be feared, and the passenger who harassed him is lucky he came away from the altercation with nothing more than some minor bleeding.

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