Julius Francis breaks silence on viral KO of rowdy man and calls out Mike Tyson for rematch 22 years after defeat
JULIUS FRANCIS has broken his silence after virally knocking out a rowdy man – to say he is up for a rematch with Mike Tyson.
The retired boxer-turned bouncer hit the headlines after punching a confrontational man to the floor outside BoxPark Wembley.
Francis last fought professionally in 2006 but his two-round loss to Tyson six years earlier is among his most memorable bouts.
And now, 22 years on, the former British and Commonwealth champion admitted he would do it again with the American icon.
Francis, 57, told TMZ Sport: “I’m going to put it out there, I’ve never liked talking about money but they could put up with a decent offer then, who knows.
“I’m going to put it out there. I’m going to say, yes. Yes, we can have a rematch. I don’t know if anybody will watch it, but I’m going to say, yes.”
READ MORE IN BOXING
Tyson, 55, retired in 2005 but made a remarkable comeback in November 2020.
He drew over eight exhibition rounds with Roy Jones Jr, 53, and has since been linked with a fight against Jake Paul, 25.
But Francis warned neither the YouTube star or his brother Logan, 27, would be worth coming back to the ring for.
He said: “I have a daughter that tells me, ‘You’re not going to fight again,’ and I think to myself, ‘Who would I fight?’
Most read in Boxing
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
“Obviously people name Jake Paul or the other Paul or whatever and it’s a mega fight blah blah blah.
“But them guys, they’re not in my category.”
Francis only this month boxed Dan Cadman in a charity bout to raise money for Mark Potter, a 47-year-old personal trainer from Essex who is battling cancer.
And after his KO punch became a sensation overnight, BoxPark CEO Robert Wade leapt to the security worker’s defence.
Wade posted on LinkedIn: “Julius Francis is ex-UK heavyweight boxing champion, he is one of the nicest people I have ever met and helps train young underprivileged kids boxing in his spare time.”
The Met Police later confirmed no further action will be taken in relation to the incident.
But unfortunately for Francis, the UK’s Security Industry Authority have suspended his licence.
Read More on The Sun
He said: “What actually has happened, the SIA – they have actually suspended my license to work, so I can’t work at the moment anyway.
“So I’m just trying to get that sorted, and then hopefully [I’ll be] back on the doors as soon as possible you know, get back to work.”