Pink fingernail makes Mike Tyson see red, former boxer almost hits fan again

Mike Tyson had another heated altercation with a fan the last weekend in Las Vegas, days after the former boxer was videoed punching an overexcited fan on a JetBlue flight. 

Tyson was in Vegas, attending events preceding the unanimous Shakur Stevenson win over Oscar Valdez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. He was taking pictures with fans when a woman stuck her finger close to Tyson’s face from behind. 

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The boxing pro immediately turned around and confronted the woman, leading his security team to intervene. After the woman’s fingernail came close to Tyson’s nose, the security had to de-escalate the situation. They also escorted Tyson away from the crowd. 

In recent times, Tyson has been busy recording his podcast, ‘Hotboxin’, and is promoting his Tyson 2.0 line of cannabis that the boxer launched last year. The former heavyweight champion of the world was on his way back to Miami, from San Francisco, from his speaking engagement at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference, when the incident on the plane took place. 

While Tyson’s reps stated that the man, identified as Melvin Townsend III, threw a water bottle at the boxer to provoke him, lawyers on the opposite side have denied such claims. 

Reportedly, Townsend III refused to press charges against Tyson, leaving both of them free to exit the airport without further incident. It remains unclear if the case is currently under investigation. 

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San Francisco Police had been called to the scene and released a statement saying, “Officers arrived and detained two subjects that were believed to be involved in the incident. One subject was treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries. That subject provided minimal details of the incident and refused to cooperate further with the police investigation”. 

Melvin Townsend III reportedly has a long criminal record and has been jailed on many charges including fraud, burglary, grand theft, possession of controlled substances and trafficking in stolen property.