Mike Tyson Uppercut 'Lifted Me Off The Floor,' Past Opponent Says

One of Mike Tyson’s past opponents revealed that one uppercut from prime Tyson literally lifted him off the floor.

Julius Francis was a former heavyweight boxing star from Britain who went toe-to-toe with Tyson in 2000. Despite coming into the fight confident, Francis ended up on the deck just like most of Tyson’s past opponents. Francis was knocked down five times in six minutes during the said fight and “Iron Mike” added another horrible beating-win under his name.

On the 20th anniversary of the Manchester bout that devastated Britain for months, Francis has broken his two decade silence to recall the unforgettable moment in his boxing career.

In a recent interview with Daily Mail, Francis admitted that his impressive physique and brutal fighting pedigree honed on the back streets of south east London could not protect him from Tyson. However, there were times where the 6-foot-2 British legend would think that if he had just landed one big punch on Tyson, the outcome would’ve been completely different.

“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,” Francis said.

Prior to the fight, Francis and his team devised a tactful strategy that could overcome the vicious KO power of Tyson. But as soon as Francis entered the ring, Tyson never gave him a chance to fight his fight.

“We had decided I would stand behind my jab as he came in and I would catch him. I knew I had a great jab and I knew I was a good mover,” Francis recalled.

“Tyson came out from the start and he was ferocious. He hit me with his right hand and I thought 'Who the f*** do you think you are hitting me with your right hand? I am not going down like that. But that is Tyson, drawing you into him, into his fight, so I went toe to toe with him,” Francis added.

What happened next was something that would mark the beginning of the end for Francis. The first knockdown came with 45 seconds on the clock and over the span of four minutes across rounds 1 and 2, Francis would be knocked down five times.

Francis believed that he “hit Tyson with some of his best shots” only to find out that his best shots were not good enough for a prime Tyson.

Ultimately, the one punch that sticks to Francis’ head was an uppercut from Tyson which saw him literally lift his feet off the floor.

“Towards the end of the fight there was one upper cut that lifted me off the floor. That sticks in my memory,” Francis revealed.