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England's Francis Has Little to Lose Fighting Mike Tyson, Columnist Says

He was once imprisoned for causing "grievous bodily harm."

He was also once the European heavyweight kickboxing champion.

So Julius Francis might well be a tough guy.

Whether he's tough enough to handle Mike Tyson will be determined Jan. 29 in Manchester, England, when the two ruffians square off in a bout in which Tyson will be the prohibitive betting favorite.

Francis, 35, has toiled in a boxing career that thus far qualifies as unheralded. He may have won three straight fights, but he's 21-7 overall and has lost to all three of his previous noteworthy opponents, Vitali Klitschko, John Ruiz and Zeljko Mavrovic.

He has even lost to Scott Welch, Nikolaj Kulpin and Michael Murray.

If he loses to Tyson, at least he can console himself with the $528,000 payday. That check easily overshadows the $24,000 he was to receive for fighting someone named Harry Senior in a bout that had been scheduled for Saturday but, obviously, has since been called off.

Tyson will be paid a reported $12 million for the fight, which will be shown in the United States on a same-day delayed basis by the Showtime cable network.

"I'm not going to let Mike Tyson intimidate me," Francis said at a press conference this week in London. "He's human and he bleeds like anyone else. I know how to get down and dirty.

"If he wants to get dirty, I can get dirty."

Promoter Frank Warren said Wednesday that all 21,000 tickets at MEN Arena in Manchester have already been sold. "Tyson could fight Mickey Mouse in Manchester and the people would show up," said Francis' manager, Frank Maloney.

Tyson is currently training daily at the Golden Gloves Gym in Las Vegas, where an insider said he looks fit and ready for his first fight outside the United States since he lost to Buster Douglas in Tokyo in 1990.

Tyson's road show might well continue beyond the fight with Francis, as promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl of Germany told a paper in Berlin that he is working on a Tyson vs. Vitali Klitschko match for later next year. Klitschko is a 27-0 slugger with 27 knockouts.

"(Tyson) wants to come over to Europe to get out of the microscopic glare of the American media," Showtime's Jay Larkin said of the former heavyweight champ's 2000 plans. "He's looking forward to a bit of relief from the whirlpool he has been caught up in."

Naturally, Tyson is expected to defeat Francis and add to his 46-3 record.

"His coming here is a great opportunity for me," Francis said. "I can put my name into the world scene and that's what I intend to do."

British newspapers have described Francis as a "former soccer hooligan" who also has been shot at and knifed in street fights. Francis admits "I've done a little bit of unlicensed fighting" on the streets.

The 6-foot-2 Francis has only 11 knockouts to his credit but owns the British Commonwealth title and defeated Danny Williams by decision in a 1999 bout many in Britain are calling the "fight of the year."

Tyson will be fighting for the first time since a no-decision with Orlin Norris Oct. 23 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Norris quit after the first round of that fight, claiming he injured a knee as Tyson delivered a punch a second after the bell.

*MOSLEY MATTERS: Promoter Bob Arum came back from New York this week without working out a deal with rival Don King for an Oscar De La Hoya vs. Felix Trinidad rematch. If those negotiations remain stalled, De La Hoya will likely meet former IBF lightweight champion Shane Mosley on June 17 in either Las Vegas or the new Staples Center in Los Angeles.

"Without showing too much bias, I like our chances in that fight," Mosley's publicist, Norman Horton, said Wednesday. "Shane has a lot of respect for Oscar and they sort of grew up together (in Los Angeles). He's familiar with Oscar and his style."

Both De La Hoya and Mosley have an interim fight scheduled, with De La Hoya meeting Derrell Coley Feb. 26 in New York and Mosley slated to face Willie Wise Jan. 22 at a site still to be determined.

Horton said he thought the Hard Rock in Las Vegas had the inside track on hosting the latter bout, although he was surprised to learn Top Rank has already requested that date for a card at the same site that may feature lightweight Israel Cordona.

But Top Rank may relinquish its Hard Rock show if it aids negotiations with Mosley.

Tunica, Miss., and Atlantic City, N.J., are alternate sites being discussed for the Mosley vs. Wise card, which will be televised by HBO.

"It may not be the greatest card and Wise may not be the greatest opponent, but it's important for Shane to not only win but to look good doing it," Horton said. "Wise is somewhat of a veteran and Shane never underestimates anyone. I just don't think Wise has the power to hurt Shane, and I doubt he can stand up to the heat Shane will bring."

Wise, 32, earned the fight by upsetting Julio Cesar Chavez Oct. 2 at the Las Vegas Hilton. Wise, 24-6-4 with a mere seven knockouts, defeated Chavez by 8, 6 and 4 points on the judges' cards.

Mosley, 28, is 33-0 and is fighting at 147 pounds after making a name for himself at 135. He won the IBF lightweight title by beating Philip Holiday in August of '97, but has relinquished that belt to campaign at a more natural weight.

"He walks around at 155," Horton said. "He isn't just a typical lightweight who's overblown at 147 or is just doing this to chase Oscar. He's comfortable at welterweight, whereas he was dehydrated trying to make 135."

Mosley is currently training in Big Bear, Calif., for his bout with Wise.

*DE LA HOYA-COLEY: De La Hoya, the man who made Big Bear famous, was in New York this week for the formal announcement of his fight with Coley, which will be televised by HBO.

As has become customary the past couple of years, De La Hoya promised a new and more exciting version of himself. It's a statement he has made countless times before without actually delivering anything different in the ring.

"I'm coming out for Coley with a different style," De La Hoya said. "I can't let the judges handle it. I'm coming out with anger. No more boxing. People don't appreciate boxing anymore."

He's coming off a points loss to Trinidad that dropped his record to 31-1.

"I know he thinks he's a great boxer," Coley said. "(But) I hope he leaves his miniskirt at home. I hope he comes to fight." Coley is 34-1-2.

*LEGAL ISSUES: A week doesn't go by that some boxing-related litigation isn't filed somewhere in the country, and this week was certainly no exception.

In all probability the average fan does not care, but the De La Hoya vs. Coley fight announcement led to Coley's promoter, Dan Goossen, filing suit against HBO on the grounds that he had been left out of the contract negotiations and that it was HBO that pulled the plug on a proposed Trinidad vs. David Reid fight (in order to pursue the one with De La Hoya and Coley).

HBO's Lou DiBella called the lawsuit baseless, as might well be the case.

Only slightly more intriguing is a court case spurred by a lawsuit filed in Pittsburgh by the grandfather of former heavyweight champ Michael Moorer, who is suing his grandson for $6.9 million. Henry Smith, 79, says Moorer contractually agreed to give him one-quarter of his career earnings and that Moorer later reneged.

"He didn't do me right," Smith told the Associated Press.

"This is an unfair attempt to take advantage of a grandson's kindness," countered Moorer's attorney, Richard Dandrea.

And in the ongoing U.S. government vs. the International Boxing Federation saga, IBF president Bob Lee has temporarily stepped aside and IBF vice president Hiawatha Knight will run the organization in his absence. Prosecutors said, however, that they would still seek a court-appointed monitor to handle the IBF's affairs while the organization is charged with bribery and corruption.

A hearing on the government's request was set for Dec. 22.

*QUICK HITS: Former IBF junior welterweight champion Vince Phillips of Las Vegas won his Saturday fight in Tunica with Angel Belgre, stopping his outgunned opponent in the third round. "Everything went real well," said Phillips' trainer, Kenny Adams. "I wish we could have gotten a few more rounds out of Belgre, but we'll make that up. Vince looked good." Phillips, 40-4, meets rising welterweight Vernon Forrest Jan. 22 on the Mosley-Wise undercard. . . . The main event for Friday's card at The Orleans has changed a bit, as Pedro Ortega (27-5) now will face Ed Griffith (16-7) in a 10-round middleweight fight. Ortega's previously announced opponent, Tim Pilant, dropped out when his parole officer said the fighter could not leave his home state of Nebraska without violating his parole. . . .

DirecTV, which recently purchased USSB, has entered into a four-fight contract with Don King Productions and the first of those shows is scheduled for Saturday in Tunica. IBF bantamweight champ Tim Austin will headline the card and replace heavyweight Henry Akinwande as the featured performer. "I was supposed to fight last week, so I'm ready," Austin said of changing his schedule to accommodate DirecTV. He's 19-0-1 and will be making his fourth title defense, this time against Bernardo Mendoza. "I can see he's been around for a while, but I don't know much about him," Austin said of his 50-7 opponent.

The opponents for the primary undercard bouts have changed as well, as Ray Mercer (25-4-1) gets Jim Haynes (12-10-1), and fellow heavyweight Oliver McCall (33-7) takes on Will Hinton (17-14-2). Haynes and Hinton replaced Jason Wheeler and Anthony Willis, respectively. ... Chicago resident Jerry Alfano, a former Las Vegan, has expressed an interest in purchasing the Ringside Gym and is hopeful he can work out a deal with current owner Rick Burton.

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