As Hurricane Milton approached Florida’s western coast, a viral claim emerged that boxing legend Mike Tyson had announced a fight against the monstrous storm. Accompanying this claim were photos of Tyson in boxing action amid rain and floods. These images went viral, sparking numerous reactions and comments. However, imagery detectors revealed the photos were digitally generated.
SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIM
Social media is buzzing with claims that American boxer Mike Tyson was fighting Hurricane Milton which would storm the west coast of Florida state this week.
The claim has been circulated alongside several photos of Mike Tyson, dressed in shorts and boxing gloves, in a rainy and flooded location.
This claim has been widely shared on social media, gaining a lot of reactions and comments from the community of social media networks.
Below is the snapshot of the viral claim on October 09, 2024: “BREAKING: Mike Tyson announced this morning he’ll be fighting Hurricane Milton. A huge relief for the Florida Gulf Coast. We’re in good hands with Iron Mike.”
A similar claim was also posted on social media by other Facebook users, which gained a lot of shares, reactions, and comments.
Below is a snapshot of the recent Facebook post saying “Mike Tyson fighting off hurricane Milton.”
As it is going viral on social media, the same Facebook posts can be easily seen on the social media network here (archived), or another post here (archived).
Alternatively, the Facebook posts will appear in the social media platform’s search box by typing the keywords “Mike Tyson” and “Hurricane Milton.”
The claim has been circulating on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Threads.
Below is a snapshot of the claim tweeted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on October 10, 2024: “BREAKING: Mike Tyson announced this morning he’ll be fighting Hurricane Milton. A huge relief for the Florida Gulf Coast. We’re in good hands with Iron Mike.”
Below is a snapshot of the claim posted on Threads three days ago: “Mike Tyson fighting off Hurricane Milton.”
FACT CHECK
Fact Crescendo has started verifying the claims using AI-generated image detectors, which has led us to uncover the following facts.
Using the AI classifier SightEngine, we identified that the photos going viral on social media were created by artificial intelligence applications.
Below is the SightEngine-analyzed result indicating that the photos are more likely generated by artificial intelligence applications.
The Sight Engine analysis of the composite of the photos proves they were more likely generated by artificial intelligence applications.
A Mundon Deportivo’s report said these photos of Mike Tyson fighting Hurricane Milton were deep fake, yet they were viral on social media platforms in recent days.
The announcement of Mike Tyson to fight Hurricane Milton has not been published by any reliable report.
However, we discovered reliable reports (BBC and U.S. Today) said the American boxer Mike Tyson, 58, will fight Jake Paul, 27, in November in Texas.
According to NBC News, at least 17 people were confirmed dead after monster storm Hurricane Milton battered Florida two days ago, leaving 2 million households without power.
CONCLUSION
Fact Crescendo discovered the photos described above were digitally altered. These photos are not factual images of American boxer Mike Tyson fighting Hurricane Milton. They were generated by artificial intelligence applications.
Title:AI-Generated Images of Mike Tyson Going Viral on Social Media
Fact Check By: Jay UdomResult: Altered
