King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Dean Francis

English boxer

Born
23 January 1974, Leeds
Died
25 May 2018
Citizenship
United Kingdom
Sport
boxing
Discipline
cruiserweight, light heavyweight, super middleweight
Occupation
boxer

Dean Temius Francis (23 January 1974 – 25 May 2018) was a British professional boxer who competed from 1994 to 2014. He held the British 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, as well as former world champions Tony Bellew and Anthony Crolla. He was nicknamed "Star".

External links

Facts from Wikidata Q16214839 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.

Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.