Cage Rage Fight for Boxer Julius Francis

Former British Heavyweight Boxing Champion Julius Francis will make his Mixed Martial Arts debut against Gary Turner at Cage Rage 23: Unbelievable, Wembley Arena, London on September 22 2007.

Francis first announced his intention of switching to MMA at Cage Rage 22: Hard as Hell. The rumours which have circulated since then will be confirmed tomorrow (2nd August) when he and Turner officially sign fight contracts at Peacocks gym in Canning Town, London.

Francis was a successful kickboxer in the past and is currently working on his wrestling and jiu jitsu in preparation for his cage appearance.

In the ring, Julius Francis can boast of winning four British Heavyweight title fights and five Commonwealth title fights, as well as two challenges for the European title and he has fought a number of big names. Indeed, his boxing record is a who’s who of recent British Heavyweights with Matt Skelton, Audley Harrison and Danny Williams featuring. On the world stage, Francis has come up against World Champions Oleg Maskaev, John Ruiz and Vitali Klitschko.

Julius Francis is probably best known for his infamous contest with Mike Tyson. One national newspaper was so certain of the outcome, they paid to have their logo emblazoned on the soles of Francis’ boots. They got their money’s worth as Francis hit the canvas five times before the fight ended a minute into the second round.

In a 2004 interview with the Independent on Sunday- Francis outlined his feelings on the fight game: ‘Age isn't a factor. It doesn't concern me. I'm still fresh as a fighter and the main thing is that I have never taken a lot of punches. I'm still fighting because it's in my heart, it's in my blood. I'm in the fight game, the hurt game. I love being in the gym, I love being in the ring, in the spotlight. I love the thrill and the smell of it all, even the fear. It's what I do.’ While admiring his enthusiasm, it has to be noted that Francis is now 42 years old and has 14 straight losses on his boxing record of 23-24-1. Some will question the wisdom of putting an ageing boxer who has not won since 2002 on such a high profile card.

On paper, this looks a strange fight for the highly touted ‘Smiler’ Turner. After making his Cage Rage debut at Cage Rage 21: Judgement Day , stopping late replacement David "Tank" Abbott, Turner put in a far more assured performance to see off Edson Drago at Cage Rage 22: Hard as Hell. A match against Francis appears something of a backward step.

Before switching to Mixed Martial Arts, Gary Turner enjoyed a successful career in Muay Thai and Kickboxing. Many will expect him to see off the challenge of Francis with little trouble, but Turner will definitely not allow himself to be complacent. In his fight with the supposedly ‘over the hill’ Tank, he was caught with some big punches early on and his Kickboxing record includes a loss to the much maligned British Heavyweight boxer Matt Skelton at the K-1: World Grand Prix 2000 UK.