Boxing legend Mike Tyson has opened up about his fight with a fan on a plane. Photo / Getty Images, File
Boxing legend Mike Tyson has opened up about his fight with a fan on a plane. Photo / Getty Images, File
Boxing legend Mike Tyson has opened up about his fight with a fan on a plane that went viral earlier this year.
The former heavyweight champion of the world turned marijuana mogul was in April filmed attacking a passenger on a flight to Miami, where he was set to bethe main speaker at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference.
A witness told TMZ that Tyson, 56, told the man to leave him alone, but the boxer started swinging when he refused to back off.
Iron Mike was seen reaching over the back of his seat to punch the fellow passenger.
Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, available to stream on Flash, the boxing icon admitted he had been smoking cannabis before boarding the aircraft.
"By the time I'm on the plane I'm high, hungry and tired," he told the Sky News host.
"This guy keeps antagonising me. And then I came to my senses and kicked his f***ing ass!
Mike Tyson on Piers Morgan Uncensored. Photo / Piers Morgan Uncensored; screenshot
"I'm only joking. I wish I did kick his ass! I didn't kick his ass. But my bodyguard jumped on top of him and I was hitting my bodyguard! For which I'm sorry.
"Our decision is that we will not file any charges against Mr Tyson based on the circumstances surrounding the confrontation," San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told AFP.
"These include the conduct of the victim leading up to the incident, the interaction between Mr Tyson and the victim, as well as the requests of both the victim and Mr Tyson that no charges be filed in this case."
Considered one of the best heavyweights of all time, Tyson is also known for his erratic behaviour, which included infamously biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear in a 1997 bout.
Tyson was convicted in 1992 of rape, and jailed for three years. In 2007 he admitted to a cocaine addiction.
