Tekashi 6ix9ine Sucker Punched in the Head As He Leaves Miami Club

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SUCKA PUNCHED
UPDATE

7:28 AM PT -- Tekashi tells us, "He scuffed my shoulder by my neck. He also connected with the shoulder of my security guard. I didn't know this guy. There was no prior dispute."

Tekashi 6ix9ine learned the hard way he's still got a ton of enemies, taking a punch to the back of the head as he exited a nightclub with his crew.

We've obtained video from inside Pilo's Tacos Tequila Garden in Miami at about 2 AM where you can see security clear the way for Tekashi and his team. Apparently -- one club-goer wasn't a fan of Tekashi's music, snitching, or maybe even his hairstyle -- and decided to throw a punch as the rapper walked by.

It looks like the blow landed, hitting Tekashi in the back of the head, and the dude who threw the punch takes off.

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BEFORE THE ATTACK

As for why he was in the club, Tekashi made an appearance and performed one song from behind the DJ booth, so it appears he's trying to test the waters on how he might be received by the average joe ... apparently one guy wasn't feeling it.

Tekashi, for what it's worth, seemed unfazed by the attack and was allegedly signing autographs afterward outside the club.

Tekashi was released from home confinement in connection to his Nine Trey Gangsters trial in August of 2020. The rapper worked with law enforcement to provide information on the wrong-doings of the gang and its members, cutting himself a significant deal.

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RETURN OF THE KING

While he's released music since ... Tekashi has maintained a relatively low profile, but has recently popped up on social media.

We reached out to Tekashi regarding the punch ... so far, no word back.

Mets' Pete Alonso Thrown To Ground In Wild Brawl ... With St. Louis Cardinals

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Chaotic scene during the Mets vs. Cardinals game in St. Louis on Wednesday ... a wild brawl broke out during the middle of the game -- and NY superstar Pete Alonso was thrown to the ground by a Cards pitcher and coach.

The crazy moment went down in the bottom of the 8th inning at Busch Stadium ... after St. Louis third baseman Nolan Arenado was pissed following a pitch that nearly beaned him.

Arenado turned his body to avoid being hit by the Yoan López heater ... then nodded and motioned to Lopez as if to say "come get some."

The catcher and umpire tried to restore peace, but it was too late -- because both benches cleared in order to restrain Arenado from going after Lopez.

The two teams collided near home plate ... and, at one point, Alonso was dragged to the ground by Cardinals pitcher Génesis Cabrera and coach Stubby Clapp.

Thankfully, the melee was quickly broken up ... and Alonso and no one else was injured in the fracas.

But, afterward, Pete was pissed ... and told reporters that if he really wanted to, he could have "put someone in the hospital."

"I easily could," the Mets first baseman said, "but I was just out there trying to protect my guys."

Of course, the bad blood had been boiling between the two teams for a while ... especially after Tuesday night's game, when Alonso got drilled in the helmet by pitcher Kodi Whitley.

In fact, beanball drama happened earlier in Wednesday's game, when J.D. Davis was hit in the foot by a pitch from Cabrera in the top of the eighth inning.

In the end, the Cards defeated the Mets, 10-5 ... but with both teams slated to play each other a bunch more times -- it's clear the drama might be far from over between these two.

Mike Tyson Crackin' Up During Phone Call ... Moments After Airplane Beatdown

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UNBOTHERED

Here's more proof Mike Tyson didn't have a care in the world after beating up an alleged heckler on a plane last week -- with the boxing legend laughing his ass off on the phone moments after the incident.

TMZ Sports has obtained video of Iron Mike in the San Francisco International Airport after being escorted off his plane to Florida around 10:49 PM on Wednesday ... and the former champ looks happy as a clam as he chats it up on his cell.

A witness tells us Tyson was surrounded by cops ... and was speaking with one of the officers following the incident.

As we previously reported, Tyson was all smiles with a fan as he exited his JetBlue gate ... an interaction that went down just minutes after he was caught on video throwing punches at Melvin Townsend III.

While Tyson doesn't seem to be sweating the whole incident, he could still face legal action ... as Townsend lawyered up with Matt Morgan from Morgan & Morgan.

A rep for Tyson told us the passenger was clearly intoxicated and the altercation broke out after a water bottle was thrown at him ... but Morgan denies his client ever threw anything.

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FISTS OF FURY

As for cops, we're told the incident is under investigation by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

Aaron Carter Set to Box Benzino in Celeb Match ... 50 Cent Mum on Challenge

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Benzino doesn't appear to have been able to lure 50 Cent into a boxing ring, so he's settling for the next best opponent ... and, apparently, that's Aaron Carter.

Damon Feldman of Celebrity Boxing tells TMZ ... the former pop star is lacing up his gloves again this summer to fight the "Love & Hip Hop" star in the main event. We're told both contracts have been signed ... and they're slugging it out on June 11.

The match is set to go down at the Charles Dodge Center in Pembroke Pines, FL -- and Feldman says BitCoin Rodney is promoting it. Aaron is stepping up for 50 Cent ... whom DF and co. weren't able to book.

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Despite the bad blood between Benzino and Fitty -- including the recent back and forth claims of outing attempts and alleged federal snitching -- it doesn't appear 50 was interested in settling their beef with hands ... dude's been mum on their public challenge.

Aaron, however, is coming back for seconds -- you'll recall ... he got pummeled by Lamar Odom last year, where he was greatly outsized. Benzino's also bigger than him, but it sounds like Aaron doesn't care ... and wants his shot to redeem himself.

No word on how much either of these guys is making for going 3 rounds, but ya gotta figure it's a sizable amount for them ... especially if Aaron's coming back after that ass-whoopin'.

One thing we know for sure ... we'll be watching!

Boxing Star Katie Taylor Fight w/ Amanda Serrano Could Be Like Ali Vs. Joe Frazier

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'THE BIGGEST FIGHT OF MY CAREER'

Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano will make history Saturday night when they headline the first-ever female main event at Madison Square Garden ... but the fight's a lot more than the answer to a future trivia question -- Taylor tells us this fight could be remembered like Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier I.

... which also went down at the "world's most famous arena."

TMZ Sports talked to the 35-year-old undefeated champ (20-0, 6 KO's) ahead of her April 30th DAZN scrap with 33-year-old Serrano (42-1-1, 30 KO's) -- a fight that's hyped up women's boxing -- so we asked Katie if there would be a carry-over effect which would elevate the sport for years to come.

"I think so. I think the fight on Saturday night is going to absolutely be awe-inspiring for people. I feel like where our matchups are stylistically we match up very very well. I feel and it's going to make for a phenomenal fight and I think this fight is going to be talked about for years and years to come."

Taylor continued ... "I've even talked about every time you say 'Madison Square Garden' you think of the likes of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. These kinds of fighters -- fights that we still talk about to this day. So I feel like the fight between myself and Amanda will be talked about for years and years to come as well. And absolutely think there will be follow-through, carry on with regards to the payday as well."

Sure, Ali-Frazier is one of the greatest rivalries -- not just in boxing, but sports in general -- so comparing any fight to the March 1971 matchup will be viewed as blasphemous.

But, that's not what Katie's saying. Her point is the fight -- pitting arguably the two greatest female boxers against one another -- is going to be incredible, and could change women's boxing in an array of ways ... including fan interest and pay.

Bottom line for Taylor ... "Biggest fight of my career and a moment in history and this is really stuff of dreams."

DaBaby Walmart Shooting Vid Surfaces ... Debate on Self-Defense

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One of DaBaby's first major legal cases is being discussed anew after a video capturing him fatally shooting someone surfaced online -- sparking a fierce debate about self-defense.

Rolling Stone published surveillance footage Sunday depicting a 2018 confrontation DaBaby was involved in at a Walmart out in his native North Carolina -- before he was super famous -- in which he shot and killed a man.

DB was eventually charged with carrying a concealed weapon for the shooting, but no murder charge.

DaBaby hasn't shied away from this case ... insisting from the jump he was acting in self-defense -- claiming the victim, 19-year-old Jaylin Craig, had pulled a gun ... and he feared for his and his family's life. He was with his GF and baby girl in the store.

RS suggests this video contradicts DaBaby's self-defense narrative, as he appears to be the aggressor in this situation -- at least based on what they posted. He charges at another man (not Craig) and the two get into a scuffle, with Craig monitoring on the outskirts.

Craig appears to reach for and even brandish what was later determined to be a gun on his person -- but RS says his grieving family insists he never would've had to resort to grabbing it if not for DB's aggressive behavior setting this whole thing in motion.

Frankly, it's unclear what exactly set all this off -- DB has claimed Craig and his pals were harassing and threatening him and his brood that night, which is why he went on the attack.

While Rolling Stone appears to be questioning DaBaby's story of protecting himself, others have seen this video and agreed ... he had every right to pull his own gun and fire once Craig pulled his, especially since he wasn't the one directly involved in the fistfight.

Of course, others say this video just proves DaBaby is a bad seed and apparently prone to violence ... something his own history since this incident seems to support, at least in some folks' eyes. As you know, he's been involved in countless physical altercations over the years.

Most recently, he shot somebody whom he claims had wandered onto his property -- and just this weekend, he also appears to have openly swung on one of his own signed artists.

Mike Tyson No Problem with Fan Encounters Snaps Pic Minutes After Plane Beatdown

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Mike Tyson clearly doesn't have an issue with fans who respect his space ... take a look at a pic Mike snapped with a dude just minutes after pummeling another guy on an airplane.

Tyson is all smiles in the photo, obtained by TMZ, shot outside the gate of his JetBlue flight. We're told the pic was snapped just after Mike walked off the plane, which was of course where he unloaded his fists of fury on an "overly excited" fan's face.

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FISTS OF FURY

Despite Mike's actions just moments before, the fan in our pic tells us he was super friendly and chill. The fan says he gave Mike the book, "Basic Economics" by Thomas Sowell -- because Tyson's such a businessman.

Funny enough, Mike was still holding the book when he touched down in Miami Thursday night.

The new photo could work to Mike's advantage, to show he's cool with fans who are cool with him. Tyson's team claimed the man on the plane, Melvin Townsend III, became overly aggressive and was harassing Mike and even tossed a water bottle at the champ, even before the plane left the gate.

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BLOODIED BY TYSON

As for Townsend, he's lawyered up, hiring Matt Morgan of Morgan & Morgan. Matt tells us things between the men were cool at first, but, "At a certain point, Mr. Tyson clearly became agitated by 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. Our client denies throwing a water bottle prior to being struck by Mr. Tyson."

We're told Townsend has not yet decided whether or not he will take legal action against Mike, but it sure sounds like that's where it's heading.

Chris Rock Mom Says When Will Slapped Her Son ... It Was Like Slapping Her

Published

Chris Rock's mom just made it clear ... when Will Smith slapped her son, it was personal.

Rose Rock made her displeasure with Smith obvious during an interview with WIS TV in South Carolina, saying, "When he slapped Chris, he slapped all of us. He really slapped me, because when you hurt my child, you hurt me."

Rose wasn't done ... "You reacted to your wife giving you the side-eye, and you went and made her day because she was mulled over laughing when it happened."

And she seems to feel Will got some payback, saying, "No one heard his [acceptance] speech. No one was able to just be in the moment because everyone was sitting there like, 'What just happened."

Rose, like most of us, initially thought the slap was staged, but she knew it was real when Will started hurling obscenities at her son.

Chris has yet to accept Will's apology, and our Chris sources say that may not be coming any time soon.

Canelo Alvarez Retirement Isn't Even On My Mind ... At Least 6, 7 Years Left

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Good news if you're a boxing fan, bad news if you're a boxer -- Canelo Alvarez tells TMZ Sports he isn't even thinking about retirement ... and plans to fight for years to come as he continues to cement his legacy as one of the greatest boxers of all-time.

We talked to the 31-year-old consensus top pound-for-pound boxer in the world .. ahead of his May 7 bout with undefeated (19-0, 11 KOs) 175 lb. champ Dmitry Bivol on DAZN PPV.

Despite the fact that Canelo -- who has been a champion in four different weight classes -- doesn't even turn 32 until this summer, we asked Saul how much longer he saw himself fighting after all he's accomplished in the sport.

"I hope a long time, because I'm gonna miss boxing when I'm retired. Right now, 6 years more, 7, 5, I don't know."

Canelo, who has a pro record of 57-1-2, went on to talk about his continued passion for the sport.

"I love boxing. I love a challenge. I love that adrenaline. I need to accomplish everything to be in the books of history of boxing. That's why I'm here and I love what I do."

About Alvarez's legacy ... we asked him what work was left to be done in order to cement himself as one of, if not the greatest, fighter ever.

"When you see the best fighter go up and down a weight class and beat all the champions? I think nobody, and I try to do my best. For boxing, for me, for my legacy."

The next step in continuing to solidify that all-time legacy is to beat Bivol ... a fight Alvarez admits could be his toughest challenge yet.

"[Dmitry's] a really good boxer. He's a solid champion at 175. It's a dangerous fight. I like it, I love that kind of challenge. I really like it. But, I believe in my abilities, and I'm strong too. So, I'm confident in that, but it's gonna be a really good fight."

If Canelo wins the Bivol fight (and that's no guarantee), we asked him who excited him most in terms of a future opponent -- Gennady "GGG" Golovkin, David Benavidez, Jermall Charlo or someone else?

"I like the idea to be undisputed at 175. That's what I like, but you never know."

FYI, aside from Bivol who would have lost his belt, the champs at light heavyweight (175 lbs.) are Joe Smith Jr. (WBO) and Artur Beterbiev (IBF, WBC).

There's more ... we also talked to Canelo about Floyd Mayweather's return to the boxing ring for an exhibition bout next month in Dubai, and a possible future boxing match against UFC pound-for-pound king Kamaru Usman.

Tyson Fury Beats Dillian Whyte Via TKO ... Teases Ngannou Fight

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Tyson Fury just whooped Dillian Whyte in the 6th round of their WBC championship fight at Wembley Stadium on Saturday ... and celebrated his victory by teasing an epic hybrid fight with UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou.

Fury hit Whyte with a vicious right uppercut that sent him falling to the canvas ... and as Whyte stumbled back to his feet, the ref called the fight.

The 33-year-old champ -- who's been teasing his retirement leading up to Saturday's event -- seemingly declared that he was content with his career and ready to hang up the gloves after the win ... saying, "I think this is it. This might be the final curtain for the Gypsy King."

Despite the retirement talk, Fury brought Ngannou in the ring during his celebration ... and the two teased an epic heavyweight bout between the baddest from both combat sports -- with Francis suggesting a fight with MMA gloves in a boxing ring.

There are a couple challenges -- first, Ngannou is dealing with a leg injury and will need months to get back to 100% ... and second, he's also in the midst of a contract dispute with the UFC. If he's under contract, he will need Dana White's stamp of approval before taking a fight with Fury.

One thing's for sure -- Fury looked good as ever against Whyte ... and if he doesn't fight Ngannou, there's a long list of boxing superstars who would want to step in the ring with him ... including, Oleksandr Usyk, who has all the other heavyweight championship belts ... and Anthony Joshua, a matchup boxing fans have been wanting for years.

Alexander Volkanovski Very Interested In McGregor Fight 'I'd Enjoy The F'ing Thing'

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Alexander Volkanovski vs. ... Conor McGregor??

Maybe ... if the featherweight champ gets to call his next shot, 'cause during a recent conversation with Volkanovski, TMZ Sports asked if he was interested in a scrap with the Irish superstar.

"Oh yeah, I mean [a McGregor fight always interests me], and it's always going to interest a lot of people," Alex, who hasn't lost a fight since 2013, tells us.

"It's always going to be a big fight, there's always going to be money, there's going to be a circus, it's going to be entertaining, it's going to be fun, I'll enjoy that whole f***ing thing."

Of course, Conor hasn't fought since July 2021 ... when he snapped his leg during his third fight with Dustin Poirier.

McGregor is clearly getting closer to making his Octagon return ... and Dana White previously told us he expects the UFC superstar will fight towards the end of the year.

Regarding Conor, there are several potential opponents ... welterweight champ Kamaru Usman, lightweight contender Justin Gaethje, and Volkanovski.

If you've seen Conor lately, you'll know he ain't making 145 lbs. anymore ... but that might play into Alex's hands, as the champ says he wants to move up a weight class and achieve champ-champ status.

FYI, Conor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo are the only UFC fighters to hold two belts at one time.

Check out the extended cut with Alex ... where he and Babcock talk everything from the beatdown of "Korean Zombie" (warrior!) at UFC 273, a trilogy fight with Max Holloway, and whether or not AV's the greatest featherweight ever -- plus much more!

Full interview ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

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CHECK OUT THE EXTENDED INTERVIEW!

DaBaby Allegedly Swings on Own Artist ... Backstage During Concert

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DaBaby appears to be at it again -- a video making the rounds purports to show the guy sucker-swinging on a man in a hallway ... and it's apparently his own artist.

The clip, which has since gone viral, was shot Friday somewhere backstage at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC -- where DB and other artists were scheduled to perform for something called Spring Jam 2022.

It's unclear if this happened before or after the curtains went up ... but in any case, you see a guy who strongly resembles DaBaby walking by a larger man, who seems unsuspecting.

All of a sudden, the shorter dude quickly turns around and unloads on the other guy ... apparently connecting. The bigger man, who's said to be DB's new artist Wisdom, squares up immediately and even throws a jab himself. Before long, they're broken by security.

Like we said, no word on what precipitated this or what happened later. What we do know ... cops weren't called. A rep for the University of South Carolina Law Enforcement and Safety -- which oversees the stadium -- tells TMZ ... no complaint/report was filed.

That's probably a good thing for DB ... he's got more than enough legal matters on his plate as it is. He recently shot a guy on his property -- claiming self-defense -- and that case is under review. His bowling alley beatdown case is also still in the air, albeit stalled of late.

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BOWLING ALLEY BRAWL

Probably best to lay low for a while ... and, y'know, not attack people out of the blue like this. Just sayin'. We reached out to DB's attorney, no word back yet.

Mike Tyson 'Harasser On The Plane Got Lucky!' ... Says The Photog That Once Got Beat Up By Boxer

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Paparazzo Tony Vera thinks Mike Tyson isn't someone to mess with, and he'd know -- he was left a bloody mess by him back in the 2000s.

We talked to Tony at LAX Friday, the very same place he was punched by Mike all those years back ... he thinks the man that harassed Mike Wednesday got off easy in the punching power department.

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FISTS OF FURY

Take a listen ... the guy makes some great points, wondering where the crew was when the passenger started bugging the former champ.

He tells us the memories started flooding back when he heard about what happened. As we reported back in 2009 ... Tony got hit by the boxer after getting too close to him near the ticket counter at LAX.

Police told us both parties made citizen arrests on each other, and Mike was taken away in a squad car while Tony was taken to a hospital. BTW ... Tyson was not charged with a crime but settled with Tony for an undisclosed amount.

Tony says he and Mike have made up since their past scuffle, but he feels bad for him about what happened Wednesday ... and wants everyone to know Mike is a legend that shouldn't be messed with.

Mike Tyson Punching Victim Hires Lawyer ... He Was Just 'Overly Excited,' Victim of Excessive Force

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The man Mike Tyson repeatedly punched on a JetBlue plane has lawyered up, and the attorney's first thoughts are suggesting a lawsuit might not be far away.

Attorney Matt Morgan from Morgan & Morgan, who reps Melvin Townsend III, tells TMZ, "Our client is a big Mike Tyson fan. When Mike Tyson boarded the plane, he became overly excited. At first, their interaction was cordial."

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FISTS OF FURY

He goes on ... "At a certain point, Mr. Tyson clearly became agitated by 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. Our client denies throwing a water bottle prior to being struck by Mr. Tyson."

As we reported, Tyson's team told TMZ Townsend had thrown a water bottle at Tyson, before Mike unleashed on him.

Townsend was bloodied and suffered what appear to be minor injuries from the punches. He declined to press charges and both he and Tyson were free to leave after the incident.

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BLOODIED BY TYSON

Attorney Morgan says, "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."

As you see in the video, Townsend is all over Tyson before the punches.

A source directly connected to Townsend says he, "Is still in shock and has not made a determination on what his next steps will be. He hired counsel due to his physical injuries, the overwhelming nature of this event and the associated media inquiries."

It sounds like the book is not closed on this incident, and a lawsuit might be in the offing.

Minor League Baseball Red Sox Prospect Socks Pitcher After Beaning ... Ignites Insane Brawl

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A Boston Red Sox prospect uncorked a haymaker on a pitcher after he was beaned during a game Thursday night ... and the punch was so violent, it ignited an all-out brawl on the field.

The wild scene went down during the Portland Sea Dogs' minor league baseball game against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies ... when Sea Dogs' first baseman and Sox prospect Tyreque Reed was drilled on the arm during the third inning.

You can see in footage of the play, following the hit-by-pitch, pitcher Marcel Renteria -- a New York Mets prospect -- appeared to say something to Reed that set him off.

Reed immediately charged at Renteria ... and then socked him in the face -- sending him crashing to the grass.

All hell broke loose following the punch, with players from both teams racing in to get in on the action.

At one point during the brawl, Renteria appeared to tackle another Sea Dogs player ... but once the fracas died down -- Renteria was clearly hurt.

It's unclear if Renteria suffered any serious injuries in the altercation -- but he was replaced by another pitcher. Reed, meanwhile, was ejected for his role in it all.

The game, thankfully, went off without another hitch following the brawl -- with the Sea Dogs coming out on top, 12-5.

Of course, this is the second big brawl on a baseball diamond that we've seen this week ... you'll recall, on Wednesday, a pitcher tackled a batter and sparked a huge fight on the field.

Mike Tyson High Spirits W/ Rozay, Naitch After Punching Man On Plane

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Mike Tyson isn't letting his violent plane beatdown ruin his high -- the boxing legend smoked like a chimney alongside Rick Ross and Ric Flair Thursday night ... around 24 hours after he punched the crap out of a man.

Iron Mike was grinning from ear to ear with the rap superstar and wrestling legend during the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference afterparty at LIV in Miami ... taking the stage and sparking up as the crowd cheered below.

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Tyson was initially supposed to speak at the weed conference Thursday afternoon alongside the Nature Boy ... but after his violent altercation with an apparent heckler, event organizers said his scheduled appearance was scrapped "due to a flight change."

Tyson seemingly made up for the scheduling conflict at the afterparty ... although it's unclear if he addressed the incident with folks in attendance.

TMZ Sports broke the story -- Tyson repeatedly punched a man on a plane at SFO on Wednesday ... after the passenger allegedly threw a water bottle at him.

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FISTS OF FURY

Our Tyson sources claim the man was completely wasted -- and wouldn't stop provoking him until the beatdown.

The 55-year-old boxing legend was also super friendly with fans in Miami following the incident on Thursday ... posing for pictures and meeting supporters outside a hotel.

Safe to say Tyson's not sweating it one bit.