Mike Tyson's representative responds: 'An aggressive passenger threw water bottle at him'

Mike Tyson's representative says the man he punched repeatedly on a plane on Wednesday had harassed the former heavyweight boxing champion.

Tyson made headlines after punching a passenger on a plane about to fly out of San Francisco after reportedly becoming irritated by the man's attempts to talk to him.

Cell phone footage showed Tyson leaning over the back of his seat and delivering a flurry of blows to the man, who appeared to be left with bruises and some bleeding in the incident.

The boxing legend's representative told TMZ Sports that the man also threw a water bottle at him before the incident.

"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," Tyson's representative said on Thursday.

According to TMZ, law enforcement responded to the scene and detained two people believed to be involved in the incident.

Police revealed that after one of the men was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, they "provided minimal details of the incident and refused to cooperate further with the police investigation".

Tyson was reported to have walked off the plane before it took off for Florida.

Considered one of the best heavyweights of all time, Tyson is also known for his erratic behaviour - biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear in a 1997 bout - and brushes with the law, including a conviction for rape and a cocaine addiction.