Who is Julius Francis? Ex-heavyweight champ who fought Mike Tyson | The Sun

ONE of Mike Tyson's main rivals was Julius Francis – the boxer who retired from the ring in 2006.

Get to know more about Julius Francis, his meeting with Mike Tyson and where he is now.

Who is Julius Francis?

Julius Francis is a British ex-heavyweight champion born on December 8, 1964.

His prime time was in the 1990s and early 2000s when he won British and Commonwealth titles.

The ex-boxer won 23 out of 48 bouts competing against the likes of Vitali Klitschko in 1998 and Mike Tyson in the 2000.

When did Julius Francis fight Mike Tyson?

Julius Francis and Mike Tyson fought it off in the ring on January 28, 2000 in Manchester.

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Tyson dominated the match with five knockdowns in just four minutes.

Francis tried attacking Tyson throughout the first round, but his misses worked in Mike's favour and headed into the second round with an advantage.

Not even 20 seconds had past, and Tyson gained the third knockdown of the match.

Francis still had fight in him to get up before being knocked down again by a left uppercut.

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Despite his in-match injury, Francis got back up again but the last knockdown saw Tyson being awarded the knockout victory with just 58 seconds into the round.

When did Julius Francis stop boxing?

Julius Francis hang up his boxing boots in 2006 and went on to start a fitness company.

In 2009, Francis was involved in a road rage attack that saw him punch the car window of a motorist and shatter glass all over him, causing minor injuries to his face.

Following the incident, Francis was sentenced to 140 hours of unpaid work and a £200 compensation to the victim.

What is Julius Francis doing now?

Julius Francis is now working as a security guard outside BoxPark near Wembley Stadium.

There is an ongoing police investigation about a video being circulated around Twitter which shows the ex-heavyweight champion knocking out a rowdy man with a single punch outside the North London venue.

The victim first yelled "f*** you," and then started walking towards Francis who landed a right hand that dropped the man.

The Met Police said: "Police are aware of footage circulating on social media showing an incident involving security staff and a member of the public outside Boxpark in Wembley.

"An investigation into the circumstances, including to establish the identity and welfare of those involved, is under way.

"There have been no arrests and enquiries are ongoing."

A spokesperson from BoxPark added: "Our team are aware of footage being shared online.

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"This incident is currently under review and part of an ongoing police investigation, and therefore we are unable to comment further on the incident at this time.

"We would like to stress that the safety and welfare of our customer and out staff is our number one priority."

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