The man who left a JetBlue flight bloodied on Wednesday after annoying former undisputed heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson appears to have a criminal record.
The man on the receiving end of Iron Mike’s fists has been identified as Melvin Townsend III, according to a report.
Townsend, who was reported to have been drunk while he annoyed Tyson, has received convictions relating to burglary, fraud, grand theft, trafficking in stolen property, and possession of controlled substances, according to the report.
WATCH: MIKE TYSON PUMMELS ANNOYING PLANE PASSENGER, PUNCHES HIM TILL BLOODY
In 2018, he stole a trailer after breaking into the property, and his drug possession conviction was related to oxycodone, the report noted.
Townsend has also done two stints serving time, according to the report.
The first for 20 months and the second for 15 months, police said.
Mike Tyson’s’ victim’ from the plane beatdown has an extensive criminal history. https://t.co/wPSX5kDP5V
— TMZ (@TMZ) April 22, 2022
Tyson, 55, was first cordial with Townsend on the flight headed from San Francisco International Airport to Florida and took a selfie with him.
However, the legendary boxer seemed to get more and more agitated as Townsend continued to pester him, according to footage of the incident.
The 36-year-old did not stop when Tyson asked him to, and that was all it took.
The boxer, who many consider the greatest of all time, unloaded a flurry of punches on him, footage shows.
After the altercation, Tyson left the plane but continued on his way to Miami, where he was swarmed by fans.
Townsend reportedly stayed in San Francisco.
An attorney for Townsend said his client is a fan of Tyson and has not yet decided if he will sue the legendary boxer, per a TMZ reporter.
“Our client is a big Mike Tyson fan. 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,” Matt Morgan, the attorney for Townsend, said.
MIKE TYSON — man Tyson beat on plane hired a lawyer. Atty tells us client’s “still in shock” & hasn’t decided if he’ll sue.
Lawyer says client never threw water bottle (as Mike’s reps claim) & was simply “overly excited” to see Tyson. pic.twitter.com/mzPaAPuJRe
— michael j. babcock (@mikejbabcock) April 22, 2022
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“This situation could have been avoided simply by contracting the flight attendant,” he continued. “Our client denies throwing a water bottle prior to being struck by Mr. Tyson. To state the obvious, as one of the greatest fighters of all time, Mr. Tyson should have exercised greater restraint before using his hands on an overly excited fan.”
