Dean Temius Francis (23 January 1974 – 25 May 2018) was a British professional boxer who competed from 1994 to 2014. He held the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

super middleweight title from 1997 to 1998; the EBU European super middleweight title in 1997; the Commonwealth light heavyweight title from 2007 to 2008; and the British light heavyweight title in 2008. Following a debilitating shoulder injury in 1998, Francis broke off his career, returning in 2002 and continuing to box until 2014. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer of the bowel in January 2017, and fought a sixteen month battle, before his death from the disease on 25 May 2018. He was 44 years old. Tributes paid by boxing promoters Barry Hearn and

Eddie Hearn Edward John Hearn (born 8 June 1979) is a British sports promoter who is chairman of Matchroom Sport and Professional Darts Corporation. Hearn is the son of promoter Barry Hearn, the founder of Matchroom Sport. Education Hearn was a student a ...

, as well as former world champions

Tony Bellew Anthony Lewis Bellew (born 30 November 1982) is an English former professional boxer who competed from 2007 to 2018, and has since worked as a boxing analyst and commentator. He held the WBC cruiserweight title from 2016 to 2017, and challeng ...

and Anthony Crolla. He was nicknamed "Star".

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Image - Dean Francis
1974 births 2018 deaths Cruiserweight boxers English male boxers Light-heavyweight boxers Sportspeople from Basingstoke Super-middleweight boxers Deaths from colorectal cancer Deaths from cancer in England {{England-boxing-bio-stub