Julius Francis

Last updated

Julius Francis
Born (1964-12-08) 8 December 1964 (age 60)
Peckham, London, England
NationalityBritish
Statistics
Weight(s) Heavyweight
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights48
Wins23
Wins by KO12
Losses24
Draws1

Julius Francis (born 8 December 1964) is a British former professional boxer who participated in many noteworthy boxing matches in the mid 90s and 2000s. In 2007, he also participated in a mixed martial arts bout, having been a former European heavyweight kickboxing champion.

Contents

Boxing career

Early career

After a troubled youth that saw him spend several spells in prison, [1] [2] Francis turned pro in 1993 at the late age of 28 with a five-round knockout of Graham Arnold. He put together six wins (three by knockout), including two in the US, before being matched with future world heavyweight champion John Ruiz. Francis was stopped in four rounds by body shots.

In 1995 Francis won Southern Area title fights against Damien Caesar and Keith Fletcher. However, he squandered a big opportunity in an eliminator, when far ahead on points after nine rounds, hard hitting Scott Welch came from behind to drop him three times and stop him in 10. After this fight, Welch would go on to win the British title and challenge for a world title, while Francis was dropped by his team and relegated to journeyman status.

Later in 1995, he took a fight in Russia and was outpointed by local Nikolai Kulpin and, in London, lost a debatable decision by half a point to veteran Michael Murray.

Francis showed marked improvement in 1996, knocking out ex-victim Caesar in the first round to regain his Southern Area title, outpointing Michael Holden, and scoring the biggest win of his career to date as he took on hard hitting "Big Bad" James Oyebola and defeated the Nigerian in 5 rounds by knockout.

The big win over Oyebola got Francis a February 1997 shot at Zeljko Mavrovic for his European title, on the champion's home turf of Austria. Francis "stole" Mavrovic's bizarre mohawk haircut for the fight and even dyed it blonde. In the fight itself, Francis took a knee from body shots in the 8th and watched the ref wave the fight off.

Experienced pro

In June, Francis was back, outpointing the hard hitting Zambian Joseph Chingangu in London for the Commonwealth title, and in September retained his Commonwealth title and won the vacant British title with a sixth-round knockout of Garry Delaney in Northern Ireland.

His manager Kellie Maloney was unsuccessful in attempting to move Francis up in 1998, as he was outpointed in Germany by local icon Axel Schulz in a European title eliminator, and a second visit to German shores saw him decked three times and stopped in the second round by giant Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko. Klitschko would go on to win the World Heavyweight title.

In 1999, Francis was back and enjoyed the best form of his career. In January, he defended his British and Commonwealth titles against the flamboyant, hard hitting and highly rated prospect Pelé Reid, who was 13–0 (13 knockouts) and favoured to beat Francis. Francis beat Reid in three rounds by knockout.

In April, he was again the underdog as he defended against another highly rated prospect, this time Frank Warren's undefeated Danny Williams, who was 15–0 (12 knockouts). [3] Francis used all his smarts to widely outpoint the "Brixton Bomber". [4] This win gave Francis the coveted Lonsdale Belt outright as he had now won three British title fights.

In June, he enjoyed the sweetest victory of his career as he outpointed former conqueror Scott Welch who was 22–3 (17 knockouts). He would vacate his Commonwealth title later in the year to set up the biggest fight of his career. At the age of 35, Francis got a shot at visiting ex-champ Mike Tyson, in Manchester in January 2000. Francis was decked five times and lost in two rounds, although enjoyed the biggest payday of his career (around £350,000). [1] [5] [6] The certainty of his defeat can be gauged by the fact that The Mirror , a national newspaper in the UK, had paid £20,000 for an advert on the soles of Francis's shoes. [3] [5] [7] Less than two months later, an uninterested Francis was back in the ring and lost his British title on a close decision to Michael Holden, whom he had already beaten. Holden would later vacate the title due to injury.

In 2001, Francis returned to complete his trilogy with Holden, outpointing him over 12 rounds, and setting up a July rematch with Danny Williams, who was now #1 in the UK, world rated, and held the British and Commonwealth titles. Francis failed to repeat his earlier win, losing in the fourth round due to a swollen eye.

He would resurface in September 2002 in Denmark, scoring an upset over undefeated Steffen Nielsen, who he knocked out in 6. This earned him a European title shot in Germany against the Turk Sinan Samil Sam, who had just crushed Danny Williams in six rounds. Francis appeared to make little effort, quitting in the seventh round from body shots.

In early 2009, he began a new career with Fightfit Training, a UK-based fitness training company, as a personal trainer and boxing coach teaching city professionals the art of boxing.

Downward slide

Francis was now 38 years old and with a respectable record of 23–10–1 (12 knockouts).

He would mix in with high class company in the UK, Germany, Russia, and other locations, but he would not win another fight. The most notable fights were a November 2003 second-round KO loss to future champ Oleg Maskaev (26–5), a February 2004 decision loss to fast rising Matt Skelton (11–0), and a May 2004 decision loss to Olympic Champion Audley Harrison (15–0).

Francis appeared to have reached the end of the road in May 2006, when he was outpointed over four rounds by unknown Scott Lansdowne. He was 41 years old and weighed well over 19 stone. Having lost 14 fights in a row, his record now stood at 23–24–1 (12 knockouts).

Overall, Francis has won four British Heavyweight title fights and five Commonwealth title fights, as well as two challenges for the European title and he has fought four former or future World champions, besides owning his very own much heralded Lonsdale Belt.

Life after boxing

Mixed martial arts career

In the summer of 2007, Francis announced that at Cage Rage 23: Unbelievable on 22 September 2007 he would be making his mixed martial arts debut against Gary Turner. [1] [4] Francis stated that he expected the move to mixed martial arts to be comfortable for him as he was already a good kickboxer before he took up boxing. His opponent Gary Turner was previously beaten by Matt Skelton, one of Francis's own conquerors, in a K-1 tournament in 2000.

Francis lost his MMA bout against Turner by TKO (submission to punches) at 2:15 in round 2. [4]

Other activities

In 2012, Francis starred in the stage play Ring Envy, a modern version of Shakespeare's Othello in London, his performance earning praise from the likes of Sylvia Syms. [1]

In June 2022, when working as security at Boxpark Wembley, Francis went viral for knocking out a man who was acting aggressively to numerous members of the public. [8] Roger Wade, the founder and CEO of Boxpark, was quick to defend Julius after it was revealed that the man had been acting aggressively for up to 15 minutes before Julius punched him. [9] Other employees of Boxpark also spoke to the press in support of Julius, praising his character. [10] The viral video showed the man in question pushing several members of staff and attempting, unsuccessfully, to punch both patrons and members of security. In the moments before Julius knocked the man unconscious, the man could be seen approaching Julius, shouting and raising his fist. The metropolitan police reviewed the video in question, but ultimately concluded that Julius had acted reasonably and legally. [10]

Professional boxing record

48 fights23 wins24 losses
By knockout128
By decision1116
Draws1
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
48Loss23–24–1Scott LansdownePTS421 May 2006York Hall, London, England
47Loss23–23–1 Scott Gammer PTS830 Sep 2005Showground, Carmarthen, Wales
46Loss23–22–1 Colin Kenna PTS426 Jun 2005 Guildhall, Southampton, England
45Loss23–21–1Micky SteedsPTS824 Apr 2005Equinox Nightclub, London, England
44Loss23–20–1 Roman Greenberg PTS1010 Dec 2004Hillsborough Leisure Centre, Sheffield, England
43Loss23–19–1 Taras Bydenko UD1021 Sept 2004Universum Gym, Hamburg, Germany
42Loss23–18–1 Alexander Dimitrenko UD831 Jul 2004 Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Stuttgart, Germany
41Loss23–17–1 Audley Harrison UD128 May 2004Whitchurch Leisure Centre, Bristol, EnglandFor WBF (Foundation) heavyweight title
40Loss23–16–1 Matt Skelton PTS107 Feb 2004York Hall, London, EnglandFor English heavyweight title
39Loss23–15–1 Oleg Maskaev TKO2 (10), 2:0427 Nov 2003 Olimpyskiy Sports Palace, Chekhov, Russia
38Loss23–14–1 Luan Krasniqi UD818 Oct 2003 Color Line Arena, Hamburg, Germany
37Loss23–13–1 Volodymyr Vyrchys UD126 Sep 2003 Sport Palace, Kyiv, Ukraine
36Loss23–12–1Steffen NielsenUD1013 Jun 2003Aalborg Hallen, Aalborg, DenmarkFor vacant European Union heavyweight title
35Loss23–11–1 Sinan Samil Sam TKO7 (12)26 Apr 2003Sport and Congress Center, Schwerin, GermanyFor European heavyweight title
34Win23–10–1Steffen NielsenKO6 (8)13 Sep 2002Randers Hallen, Randers, Denmark
33Draw22–10–1 Luke Simpkin PTS610 May 2002Britannia Hotel, London, England
32Loss22–10 Danny Williams TKO4 (12), 2:1528 Jul 2001 Conference Centre, London, EnglandFor British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles
31Win22–9 Mike Holden PTS1230 Apr 2001York Hall, London, EnglandWon vacant WB0 Inter-Continental heavyweight title
30Loss21–9 Mike Holden PTS1213 Mar 2000York Hall, London, EnglandLost British heavyweight title
29Loss21–8 Mike Tyson KO2 (10), 1:03 29 Jan 2000 M.E.N. Arena, Manchester, England
28Win21–7 Scott Welch PTS12 26 Jun 1999 New London Arena, London, EnglandRetained British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles
27Win20–7 Danny Williams PTS123 Apr 1999Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandRetained British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles
26Win19–7 Pelé Reid TKO3 (12), 2:2830 Jan 1999York Hall, London, EnglandRetained British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles
25Loss18–7 Vitali Klitschko TKO2 (12)18 Apr 1998Eurogress, Aachen, Germany
24Loss18–6 Axel Schulz UD1228 Feb 1998 Arena Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
23Win18–5Garry DelaneyTKO6 (12), 2:3127 Sep 1997 Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern IrelandRetained Commonwealth heavyweight title;
Won vacant British heavyweight title
22Win17–5Joseph ChinganguPTS1230 Jun 1997York Hall, London, EnglandWon vacant Commonwealth heavyweight title
21Loss16–5 Željko Mavrović TKO8 (12)15 Feb 1997Kurhalle Oberlaa, Vienna, AustriaFor European heavyweight title
20Win16–4 James Oyebola TKO5 (10)28 Sep 1996Broadway Theatre, London, EnglandRetained Southern Area heavyweight title
19Win15–4 Michael Holden PTS109 Jul 1996York Hall, London, England
18Win14–4Darren FearnPTS87 May 1996Marriott Hotel, London, England
17Win13–4Damien CaesarKO1 (10)9 Apr 1996Leisure Centre, Stevenage, EnglandWon vacant Southern Area heavyweight title
16Loss12–4Michael MurrayPTS105 Feb 1996Crook Log Sports Club, Bexleyheath, London, England
15Loss12–3Nikolay KulpinPTS1030 Nov 1995Circus, Saratov, Russia
14Win12–2Neil KirkwoodTKO7 (8)24 Oct 1995Elephant & Castle Centre, London, England
13Loss11–2 Scott Welch KO10 (10), 2:261 Jul 1995 Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandLost Southern Area heavyweight title
12Win11–1Steve GarberPTS825 May 1995Rivermead Leisure Centre, Reading, England
11Win10–1Keith FletcherPTS1027 Apr 1995York Hall, London, EnglandRetained Southern Area heavyweight title
10Win9–1Damien CaesarTKO8 (10), 0:2223 Feb 1995Elephant & Castle Centre, London, EnglandWon vacant Southern Area heavyweight title
9Win8–1Gary CharltonTKO1 (8)23 Nov 1994 Cafe Royal, London, England
8Win7–1Conroy NelsonTKO4 (6)12 Nov 1994 The Point, Dublin, Ireland
7Loss6–1 John Ruiz KO4 (8), 2:3825 May 1994 Colston Hall, Bristol, England
6Win6–0Manny BurgoPTS427 Apr 1994York Hall, London, England
5Win5–0 John Keeton PTS41 Dec 1993 York Hall, London, England
4Win4–0Don SargentTKO2 (4), 0:1528 Aug 1993Civic Center, Bismarck, North Dakota, US
3Win3–0Andre TisdalePTS424 Jul 1993Showboat Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
2Win2–0Joey PaladinoKO4 (4)23 Jun 1993Picketts Lock Stadium, London, England
1Win1–0Graham ArnoldTKO5 (6), 0:2823 May 1993Crofton Leisure Centre, London, England

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
1 match0 wins1 loss
By knockout01
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss0–1 Gary Turner TKO (submission to punches) Cage Rage 23 22 September 200722:17 Wembley, London

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hubbard, Alan (2012) "Boxing: From sole man to star turn in Othello", The Independent , 4 November 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2016
  2. Smith, Timothy W. (2000) "BOXING; Francis Gets His 10 Rounds of Fame", The New York Times , 27 January 2000. Retrieved 7 August 2016
  3. 1 2 "British boxing's broken belt", BBC Sport, 26 July 2001. Retrieved 7 August 2016
  4. 1 2 3 Heath, Adam T. & Hudson, David L. (2012) Mixed Martial Arts' Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Crazy Combat, Great Grappling, and Sick Submissions, Potomac Books Inc., ISBN   978-1597975490
  5. 1 2 "On This Day: Mike Tyson demolished British champion Julius Francis", Boxing News, 29 January 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016
  6. "Tyson wastes little time", BBC, 30 January 2000. Retrieved 7 August 2016
  7. Davies, Gareth A. (2012) "Dereck Chisora: I snubbed £70,000 offer from boot sponsor for heavyweight title fight against Vitali Klitschko", Daily Telegraph , 16 February 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2016
  8. Benson, Michael (25 July 2024). "British heavyweight Julius Francis, who fought Mike Tyson, knocked out aggressive punter while working as security at BOXPARK Wembley". Talksport.
  9. "Boxpark CEO backs Julius Francis after clash with 'violent' customer goes viral". Independent.co.uk . 15 June 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Police drop probe into ex-boxing champion Julius Francis viral punch video". 15 June 2022.