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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Harry Davies

Tyson Fury leaps to Julius Francis defence after Mike Tyson rival knocked out rowdy man

Tyson Fury thinks Mike Tyson 's former rival, Julius Francis, taught a rowdy customer a valuable "life lesson" by knocking him out last weekend.

Francis - who once shared the ring with Tyson over 20 years ago and is now a security guard - was filmed having an argument with a heckling customer at Boxpark in Wembley. The former British champion hit the man with a right hand that instantly knocked him out.

Boxpark's founder, Roger Wade, backed his colleague in the incident, labelling him one of the "nicest people" he's ever met. WBC heavyweight champion Fury is the latest person to come to Francis' defence, stating he has no sympathy for the angry customer.

"I saw the video, great right hand by the way," Fury said whilst on Piers Morgan Uncensored. "This is what happens when you’re cheeky, rude, getting in peoples faces. What do you expect?

WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE AND VIOLENCE

"If you keep kicking a dog, it's going to bite you isn’t it? This guy is p****d up off whatever and had a few drinks, getting cheeky. These guys are doing their job and he's attacking them, so he's been chinned. It's a life lesson, isn’t it? Never go out and be cheeky to big men because you're probably going to get chinned sooner or later."

The Metropolitan Police have since confirmed that Francis will not face any charges after knocking out the customer. Wade claims that Francis spent over 15 minutes trying to stop the customer from "abusing and spitting" on other Boxpark visitors before striking him.

"My understanding is that Julius and our security team spent 15 minutes stopping this man and his friends from abusing, spitting and hitting our customers and staff. They carefully escorted him from the premises under constant provocation and violence," Wade wrote.

What were your thoughts on Mike Tyson's former rival knocking out the rowdy customer? Let us know in the comments section below...

"Finally the person approached Julius in a confrontational manner and he defended himself. Acts of violence or abuse to any staff members should never be tolerated. How would you react if someone approached you violently? What would you do next if you were in my shoes?"

Francis retired from boxing in 2006 with a record of 23-24-1. He competed against some big names in the heavyweight division, such as Vitali Klitschko, Danny Williams and Tyson. Francis lost the last 14 fights of his professional career and most recently competed in a charity fight against ex-professional Dan Cadman.

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