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Former pro boxer Julius Francis tells TMZ Sports he’s down to fight Mike Tyson in a rematch — 22 years after they first fought — following the renewed fame he’s received after his recent knockout video went viral.
We spoke with the 57-year-old — who had the internet in a frenzy after he KO’ed a man while working a security guard shift in the UK earlier this month — and he told us he’s now willing to come out of retirement, if the opponent and the price are right.
“If there is a promoter that’s willing to promote a sanctioned fight,” Julius said, “and, I never have liked talking about money, but [if] they could come up with a decent offer, then who knows?”
Francis told us he hears all the time that he should fight Jake or Logan Paul because of the potential huge payday … but he doesn’t view either of them in his category.
Instead, Francis shared there’s only one person that could get him to lace up the gloves again … and that’s the man he lost to in a famous January 2000 bout — Iron Mike.
“I’m going to put it out there,” Francis said. “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.'”
Francis was unexpectedly thrust back into the spotlight while working a security gig outside of BOXPARK Wembley on June 12 … when he knocked a man out with one punch after the guy had been agitating people nearby.
Julius said he felt “vindicated” by social media’s response to his haymaker … and that he was pleased to see people rally behind him, even going as far to say they appreciate what he did because the guy deserved it.
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Francis expressed he has no regrets over the situation … because he was simply defending himself against the guy.
But, as a result of the incident, he said he did lose his security license, so he’s trying to get things straightened out on that end.