Julius Francis made global headlines when he floored an aggressive punter in his role as a BOXPARK Wembley bouncer.
The 58-year-old former British heavyweight champion, who once fought and lost to Mike Tyson, was the subject of a knockout clip that went viral on social media in which he showed he still possesses a very dangerous right hand.
In the video, an altercation was being filmed outside BOXPARK Wembley – where the retired boxer now works as part of the security team on site.
Francis was initially not keen to get involved as other members of his team worked to keep the arguing men apart and escort them out of the venue.
However, one of the men was particularly aggressive and took a swing at another, which prompted Francis to take a more active role.
Disrespectful words continued to be exchanged during this period as their argument became seriously heated.
Then, as Francis continued trying to peacefully escort the more aggressive punter out, the man walked towards him and raised his hand – seemingly to point in his face.
Francis responded with a lightning fast right hook which laid him out cold.
In the aftermath, the punch travelled around the world via social media.
"I had the right to defend myself," he later explained when discussing the incident.
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"The guy came up to me and he'd already been violent, struck a couple of doormen, pushed them, punched them, went at a couple of patrons."
Francis encountered a great deal of praise online, but faced different consequences in reality.
The 58-year-old was temporarily suspended from his job and briefly arrested following the incident.
To his credit, BOXPARK founder Robert Wade defended Francis in a public statement.
He said: “Julius Francis is ex-UK heavyweight boxing champion, he is one of the nicest people I have ever met and helps train young underprivileged kids boxing in his spare time.
“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.
“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? #IStandWithJulius”
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In the end the police decided to take no further action.
A Met statement read: “Officers have spoken to all parties involved and have reviewed relevant CCTV. No further action will be taken in relation to the incident involving the security guard and male customer.”
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