Mike Tyson Fight Victim Reportedly Has Large Criminal Record

The man who Mike Tyson punched has served a couple of prison sentences.

BYAlexander Cole
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Mike Tyson went viral on Thursday after punching a man on a plane. Tyson was looking to leave San Francisco via JetBlue, however, he was disrupted by an unruly passenger who simply would not leave him alone. In videos posted to social media, the man could be seen in a belligerent state before ultimately being punched up by Tyson.

The boxing legend ended up leaving the scene before finding an alternate route to Miami where he spent Thursday evening at a cannabis conference. As for the man who was hit in the head, his name is Melvin Townsend and according to TMZ, he has a long track record with the police.

Mike Tyson Fight Victim Reportedly Has Large Criminal Record
JC Olivera/Getty Images

As per their report, Townsend has been to jail on two separate occasions, once for 20 months and the other time for 15. One of his biggest crimes came back in 2018 when he stole a trailer with his pickup truck. There was also an instance in which he was hit with charges for possession of oxycodone. The man has also been convicted of other crimes such as fraud and trafficking in stolen property. Needless to say, it makes sense as to why Townsend didn't want to cooperate with the police investigation.


Following the altercation, Tyson's reps ended up putting out a statement where they said "Unfortunately, Mr. Tyson had an incident on a flight with an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat."

For now, it doesn't seem like Tyson will be facing any punishments for his outburst.

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About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. During this time, he has shown an expertise in Air Jordans, Yeezys, and all things that have to do with Nike. His favorite kicks are the Air Jordan 1 High OG, the Air Jordan 4, the Air Jordan 6, and the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 in the "Beluga 2.0" colorway. Although his collection might not be the biggest, he is always looking to add new styles to it. When it comes to sports, Alex has a particular interest in the NBA and the NFL. His favorite teams are anywhere LeBron goes, and the Kansas City Chiefs. As a Montrealer, the Montreal Canadiens hold a special place in his heart, even if they haven't won the Stanley Cup in his lifetime. Alex also works for the Concordia Stingers, where he provides play-by-play and color commentary for the football, hockey, and basketball teams His favorite hip-hop artists are Kendrick Lamar, Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, and Lil Uzi Vert.