(Reuters) - Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson came to the aid of a motorcyclist who crashed on an interstate in Las Vegas last week, U.S. media reported.

Tyson, who was convicted of rape in 1992 and has become known for erratic behavior, appeared on the scene after Ryan Chesley crashed and stayed with the rider until ambulances arrived, newspapers reported citing Chesley's lawyer.

Chesley later sent the boxer a fruit basket and a note reading: "It has to be the most reassuring thing in the world to have Mike Tyson telling people not to touch me," according to a copy printed by The New York Daily News.

"Tyson saw the whole thing ... Mike kept him calm until paramedics arrived," Tyson's spokeswoman Joann Mignano told Reuters.

Chesley suffered broken bones and other injuries in the crash last Tuesday but was later released from hospital, media reported.

Tags: Mike Tyson