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Tyson in two Iron Mike disposes of Francis in very quick fashion
Posted: Saturday February 05, 2000 04:04 PM
MANCHESTER, England (CNNSI.com) -- Perhaps if the former kickboxer had been allowed to use his feet, he might have stood a better chance. Only one problem ... Julius Francis couldn't stay on his feet. Mike Tyson gave British boxing fans -- and The Mirror -- the kind of fight they wanted to see and the kind he needed to get back into the championship picture. Tyson, the former undisputed heavyweight champion, smashed the British champion Francis to the canvas five times and stopped him at 1:03 of the second round Saturday night. "My objective was to go right in there and bang him out," Tyson said after his victory before a sellout crowd of 21,000 roaring fans in the MEN Arena. "I've got a long way to go but I'm still trying. My next couple of fights will be in Europe. I'll fight whoever Shelly Finkel wants me to fight," he said, referring to his boxing adviser. Finkel said he doesn't have anything lined up. "We have a goal to win the title this year," he said. The British fighter Tyson wants to meet next is Lennox Lewis, the undisputed champion. Lewis' manager, Frank Maloney, has said he doesn't think a Lewis-Tyson fight would happen until next year. "I have to have a few fights before I fight him," Tyson said. "When I do, I'm sure I'll be victorious." Before the two can fight, a deal has to be worked out between HBO, which has Lewis under contract, and Showtime, which has Tyson under contract. The 33-year-old Tyson, of course, will have to beat some stiffer opposition than Francis if he wants to become a major pay-per-view player in the United States again. Although Tyson was wild in the first minute of the fight, he landed some impressive punches once he found the range. "I was a little anxious, but as I calmed down, I said, `I'm going to start playing some solid punches to the body,'" Tyson said. "Painful," Francis said when asked how those punches felt. It was Tyson's second victory in three fights since his consecutive losses to Evander Holyfield. Tyson had an unimpressive victory over Francois Botha about a year ago, followed by his one-round no-contest against Orlin Norris, whom he knocked down after the bell. Tyson lost the WBA title when he was stopped in the 11th round by Holyfield on Nov. 9, 1996. He was disqualified for biting Holyfield's ears in the third round on June 28, 1997, and lost his license for just over a year. Tyson traveled to England because he has become more difficult to sell in the United States. When he appeared for a brief post-fight news conference held in the ring, a fan hollered, "Move to England!" Tyson was to return to the United States on Sunday. While Tyson's fight against Francis was his first bout in the country, he still got a louder ovation than the British boxer. In fighting back, Francis actually landed a couple good body punches in the opening round. Then, at about 2:18 of the round, Tyson sent Francis down for a 9-count with a short right to the jaw. Just before the bell, Tyson landed another hard right that put Francis down. A knocked-down fighter can't be saved by the bell, but Francis managed to scramble up at 7. The second round lasted only 1:03 as Tyson came charging out of his corner to finish the job. Tyson knocked down Francis with a left hook to the body. He got up at the count of 8, but then went down for a 7-count from a right to the body and right uppercut to the head. Another right uppercut sent Francis down for the third time in the round and referee Roy Francis, no relation, halted the bout without counting. Francis, who made $560,000 to Tyson's $8 million to $11 million, earned some extra advertising income. When he was on the canvas, the words The Mirror, a national newspaper, could be seen on the soles of his shoes. Francis' troubles actually started when Tyson was allowed to enter Britain on Jan. 16. Despite the controversy over Tyson's arrival because of his three-year rape conviction and protests by a women's group, it turned out to be an ego trip for Iron Mike, with some shopping on the side. In London, where he stayed until last Wednesday night, he bought a watch and a diamond bracelet worth about $1 million. Tyson became the media darling in England and very popular with the public. His appearance in Manchester produced $34 million in business, according to the Manchester Evening News. Tyson did cause a stir Friday when he went to the airport, touching off reports he tried to leave the country. "I went to the airport to get my family, but they didn't come," Tyson said. "The kids were sick." Not having his family around didn't seem to affect Tyson in the ring. "This is what I want to do every time out," he said. "I was surprised he kept getting up. I hit him with some good body shots." The 35-year-old Francis said he "went in thinking I had it right for fighting Mike Tyson." "But I didn't get it right," he said. "He's real powerful, but what surprised me was the short punches inside. "Losing is not acceptable, but I got in some good shots and Mike Tyson knew I hit him." Tyson, 223 3/4, earned his 47th victory and 41st knockout. He has lost three times and has the one no-contest. Francis, 244 1/2, fell to 21-8 with 11 knockouts. The 4 minutes and 3 seconds of action means Tyson has fought only 70 minutes and 3 seconds in 8 years and 7 months. The fight, shown on pay-per-view in Britain by Sky, was on Showtime in the United States with the telecast set to begin at 10 p.m. EST, more than three hours after Tyson's victory.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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