Mike Tyson‘s 58-fight career is best remembered for a series of blitzing knockouts as well as era-defining fights against Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Michael Spinks.
As much as Tyson’s displays in the ring grabbed the front and back pages, his antics outside the square circle caught the public eye in equal measure. The Baddest Man on the Planet’s arrival in the UK for his bout with Julius Francis did not fail to capture the public’s attention.
The Tyson of January 2000 was a far different man to the one that broke onto the scene in the mid-1980s, having suffered back-to-back defeats against arch nemesis Holyfield. At the age of 33, it was widely acknowledged that Tyson’s best days were behind him, although Francis, holding a 21-7 record, was seen as no threat to the former champion.
Mike Tyson (left) made his UK debut in January 2000 when he took on Julius Francis (right)
Doubts emerged as to whether Tyson could fight in the UK due to his previous convictions
More pointedly, this was a man whose demons had caught up with him. Tyson’s date with UK outsider Francis at the MEN Arena was shadowed by huge doubt due to previous convictions hanging over his head.
Tyson had served half of a six-year jail sentence handed to him in 1992 for rape, before serving another four months in prison in 1999 for attacking a pair of motorists.
Those sentences caused a huge stir in Britain, with many arguing that the heavyweight king should not be granted entry into the country.
However, former Home Secretary Jack Straw allowed the heavyweight to enter the country
And those wishes would have been granted, had it not been for the intervention of then Home Secretary Jack Straw, who stressed that Tyson’s expulsion would serve to harm the businesses of Manchester before giving the American special dispensation to arrive in the UK.
Despite his stock inside the ring falling, Tyson was treated to a rapturous reception upon his arrival from the States. This, after all, was his UK debut, and fans turned out in their droves to catch a glimpse of boxing’s biggest attraction.
Shortly after arriving at Heathrow airport, Tyson took a shopping trip to central London, injecting a healthy sum of cash into several of the capital’s jewellers, before making a visit to Brixton, south London.
Tyson took the UK by storm, and ended up in a Brixton police station after visiting London
Around 2,000 adoring fans turned out to catch a glimpse of the star before police intervened
Unsurprisingly, Tyson’s leisurely visit soon descended into chaos with large portions of the African and Caribbean communities turning out to see their hero. Police intervened to protect Tyson and the boxer found himself holed up in a police station with around 2,000 fans outside. Tyson took to a megaphone to address his fans.
‘I have got to get back to training, so I would appreciate if you let me break out. Thank you very much, thank you very much. I love you Brixton,’ he said.
Even though Tyson’s arrival in the UK pleased plenty of his supporters, there were still sections of the British public angry with his presence in the country.
Justice for Women, a feminist organisation campaigning for victims of domestic violence, made an appeal to the courts against the fighter’s entry into the country. In response to the application, Tyson said: ‘They are just a bunch of frustrated women who want to be men.’
Similar scenes were seen in Manchester, where fans flocked to the star’s hotel before the fight
Crowds turned out in raptures to see the heavyweight star outside his hotel in Manchester
His opponent Julius Francis also got caught up in the hysteria, greeting fans in Manchester
The appeal failed, and the fight was to go ahead. Francis’s chances of winning were dismissed by fans, the bookies and even his promoter.
The Brit agreed a farcical sponsorship deal with the Daily Mirror to have the soles of his shoes branded with the paper’s logo – the implication being that they would be highly visible when – not if – he was laid flat on his back by one of Tyson’s punches. His promoter, Frank Warren, conceded that the Brit had absolutely no chance.
‘I could not believe it when Julius went up to him [Tyson] and said, “Excuse me, Mike, can I have your autograph, please?”‘ Warren told the Guardian.
‘This was at the press conference. I mean, I didn’t say anything because this was a big day for Julius. But I could not believe it. He was totally in awe of Tyson, and I knew then that we had absolutely no chance of winning this fight, even though I knew that already.’
The contest itself was totally one-sided, with Tyson dispatching Francis in two swift rounds
The Brit had agreed a farcical deal with The Mirror to have the soles of his boots branded
Tyson knocked Francis down five times before the referee called a stop to the contest
As expected, Tyson would go on to destroy Francis in typically emphatic fashion at the MEN Arena. In all, it took Tyson just four minutes and three seconds to dismiss the Briton, who was beaten down to the canvas five times.
Tyson pocketed £7million for the easy night at the office, while Francis took home £350,000 – a career-high sum, albeit dwarfed by Tyson’s earnings.
‘Some people in boxing say that they would not have fought Mike Tyson but I would have been a fool to turn down the chance,’ Francis told Sportsmail in January.
Tyson would go on to fight at Hampden Park before a huge showdown with Lennox Lewis
‘If I had landed that one punch, he had gone over and I had beaten Mike Tyson, my name would have been made forever. I have no regrets.’
Laughing, he added: ‘I would have just changed one thing: the outcome!’
Tyson would return to Britain that summer to face Lou Savarese at Hampden Park, this time taking just 38 seconds to blitz his opponent. A match up with Lewis was to follow before Iron Mike wound down on his glittering career.
In true Mike Tyson style, the former heavyweight champion certainly left his mark on the UK in what was a bizarre, yet unsurprising, tale that has seemingly been overlooked in the annuls of his famed career.