Mike Tyson Says He Needs To Stop Taking Public Planes After Belting Deserving Fan

Perhaps boxing legend Mike Tyson doesn't need to be flying on public planes and sitting near drunks in the first place.

Those words come from Tyson himself, addressing the incident where he ended up punching a loudmouth on an airplane. More specifically, the video shows Tyson belted a man named Melvin George Townsend III after being repeatedly harassed.

Tyson said Townsend was "f****ing" with him, seemingly becoming more obnoxious the more Tyson ignored him. It was so bad that a district attorney refused to punish Tyson, saying he was provoked.

"Yes, they said they ain't gonna pick up charges. He was f***ing with me. I took pictures with (Townsend). I shouldn't even be taking public planes," Tyson said on an episode of his podcast Hotboxin.

Tyson, 55, isn't the only one who thinks it's a bad idea for him to fly with the general public.

"My wife gets mad when I take public planes," he said. "What am I going to do on a f****** plane with my friends and he's supposed to watch me? A bodyguard and a f****** yes man. What am I gonna do on a plane? It triggers me."

Meanwhile, Townsend's attorney said it was just a case of fandom gone wrong.

"Our client is a big Mike Tyson fan," a statement from the attorney read. "When Mr 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."