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The man seen in a video being punched repeatedly by Mike Tyson has secured legal representation, TMZ reported.
The outlet first obtained and released the footage which appears to show the 55-year-old boxing champ laying punches on a fellow flight passenger seated behind him. Now, the man's attorney is saying his client was just "overly excited."
"Our client is a big Mike Tyson fan," Attorney Matt Morgan from the Morgan & Morgan firm, who is representing Melvin Townsend III, told the media outlet. "When Mike Tyson boarded the plane, he became overly excited. At first, their interaction was cordial," Morgan said, corroborating what witnesses told TMZ shortly after the incident.
"At a certain point, Mr. Tyson clearly became agitated over an overly excited fan and began to strike him in an excessive manner. This situation could have been avoided simply by contacting the flight attendant," Morgan said. "Our client denies throwing a water bottle prior to being struck by Mr. Tyson."
On Thursday (April 21), reps for Tyson stated that the man had thrown a water bottle at the boxer before the punches began.
Townsend has declined to press charges, TMZ reported, leaving both him and Tyson free to leave after the incident. A source told TMZ that Townsend hired a lawyer because he "is still in shock and has not made a determination on what his next steps will be," and because of his "physical injuries."
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