EX-BOXER
Julius Francis is a former British champion who fought Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko and later became a security guard who helps train underprivileged kids in his spare time
Former British boxing champion Julius Francis is back in the news after an unknowing punter acted aggressively towards him and suffered the consequences.
The 57-year-old Londoner, who now works security at BOXPARK Wembley, is the subject of a clip that is doing the rounds on social media in which he showed he still possesses some serious knockout power.
5
In the video, an unknown man wearing a blue DuRag is kicking up a fuss as he exits the venue. Francis initially stayed out of the way as the man shouted expletives and even got physical with those in his vicinity.
After this, the man makes the grave mistake of approaching the former boxing champion with his hands in the air. Francis delivers a swift right hand knocking him out cold in a clip that has since been seen by millions.
BOXPARK founder/CEO Robert Wade expressed his unwavering support for Francis who he claims is ‘one of the nicest people’ he’s ever met and well within his right to defend himself from the threat of violence.
At the height of his powers, Francis was good enough to share the ring with boxing legend Mike Tyson in January 2000, as the youngest ever heavyweight champion worked his way towards a mega-money match-up against British superstar Lennox Lewis.
Like Tyson, fighting gave him a living. He was good at it, going from European kickboxing champion in 1990 to the pro ranks of boxing three years later.
Despite being a big fan of ‘Iron Mike’, Francis insisted he was not intimidated by the Hall of Famer and believed he could cause an upset.
5
5
Most read in Boxing
“This guy has got two hands and two legs and feels a pinch and punch,” Francis told talkSPORT in 2020 as he recalled his mindset ahead of the biggest night of his life.
On the night, things didn’t go well for Francis who, was famously paid to have the soles of his boots sponsored, and was stopped inside two rounds by Tyson partially due to the fact the Englishman decided to stand and trade with one of the biggest punches in boxing history – but he has no regrets.
“I thought ‘Who the f*** do you think you are hitting me, so I went toe-to-toe with him. If I had boxed and run around the ring I do not think I would have got any respect from him," he said.
“I’ve got no regrets. I’ve lived a relatively good life and been able to say I became a professional boxer and fought one of the baddest guys who ever boxed. It opened the door to me for so many different things and not just commercially."
5
5
The former boxer, who helps train young underprivileged kids in his spare time, also shared the ring with the likes of world champions Vitali Klitschko and John Ruiz as well as British heavyweights Danny Williams and Audley Harrison.
After amassing a respectable 23-10-1 record, Francis remarkably lost 14 consecutive fights between 2003 and 2006 before he eventually retired with more losses than wins.
Despite walking away from the sport, Francis still puts on the gloves from time to time. Only he recently, he fought ex-pro Dan Cadman in a charity fight in order to raise money for former heavyweight boxer Mark Potter who is sadly battling cancer.
Earlier this year, the Commonwealth and British title challenger was given 18 months to live after being diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer and Francis boxed to raise money for him and his family.
Topics