Who’s the man Mike Tyson hit on a plane? Florida punching bag has seen cops before

Mike Tyson had had enough.

The boxing legend was filmed punching a passenger sitting behind him on a JetBlue flight from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale last week.

The man on the other end of Tyson’s fist Wednesday night? Melvin Townsend III of Punta Gorda, Florida.

It’s a case of he said, he said.

Townsend’s lawyer, Matt Morgan of Morgan & Morgan, released a statement to TMZ Sports that said the altercation occurred because Tyson had no chill with the overeager fan.

“At a certain point, Mr. Tyson clearly became agitated by an overly excited fan and began to strike him in an excessive manner,” the statement said. “This situation could have been avoided simply by contacting the flight attendant.”

Tyson’s rep says that Townsend threw a water bottle at him, triggering the violence. Morgan denies this.

Townsend isn’t exactly an angel. The 36-year-old has a lengthy rap sheet dating back to 2008. According to Charlotte County court records, charges included possession, burglary, grand theft and fraud and he has served time twice.

As for why Tyson was traveling to South Florida? The New York native was a speaker the following day at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference at the Eden Roc hotel in Miami Beach. After being briefly questioned at San Francisco International Airport, the 55 year old champ was allowed to travel onto South Florida.

The speakers’ page says Iron Mike is the founder of Tyson 2.0 cannabis company. He was not taken into custody after the confrontation and was able to continue to his appearance.

“The company’s mission is to produce innovative, high-quality cannabis products known for purity, precision, and wide accessibility.” It is not yet available in Florida.