FRANCIS' BIGGEST FEAT IS GETTING A SHOT.

Byline: Michael Rosenthal Boxing

No one in his right mind expects British heavyweight champion Julius Francis to beat Mike Tyson when they meet on Jan. 29 in Manchester, England.

Francis, 36, has lost to fighters who aren't good enough to spar with the former two-time world champion and decent heavyweights, such as John Ruiz, Zeljko Mavrovic and Vitali Klitschko, have torn him apart.

However, the fact he'll be climbing into the ring with boxing's biggest name and make $500,000-plus for doing it is a remarkable feat in itself for Francis.

A dozen years ago, he was a mess.

Like Tyson in Brooklyn, Francis grew up in a rough London neighborhood and was reared from the age of 10 by foster parents.

And, also like his opponent, he couldn't cope. He ended up a street thug and spent half his adult life in prison, "mostly for fight-related things, confrontations with police."

He also could barely read and write, which didn't help his prospects for a productive life.

"I suppose that not everybody grows up having people they look up to or aspire to be," he said during a recent telephone conference call from England. "I just went down a road that I thought was good for me at the time. It landed me in a lot of trouble.

"It landed me in the hospital. I've been shot, stabbed, in the hospital, in prison. That was then, this is now. People may say that I've turned my life around. It's part of growing up."

Francis did grow up.

He was last in prison in 1989, by which time he became functionally literate and, he says, learned his lesson.

Shortly afterward, at 25, he walked into a gym for the first time. He won a London amateur championship and then turned professional at the relatively advanced age of 28.

He evolved into a decent fighter. He moves fairly well for a man his size - 6-foot-2, about 240 pounds - and has decent power, although he's not exceptional in either regard.

His record is solid: He's 21-7, with 11 knockouts. He's won three in a row after back-to-back losses to Axel Schulz and Klitschko.

Still, he appears to be in over his head with Tyson - which is what the former champ's handlers had in mind.

Tyson has fought less than six full rounds in two fights since he bit the ears of Evander Holyfield and lost his boxing license in June of 1997. His handlers want to ease him into a big-money fight, which means Francis is considered, and probably will be, an easy victory.

Francis promises one thing: He'll come to fight.

"There is only one person in life to be afraid of, and that is God...." he said. "I have seen guys that have crumbled against Tyson. He has, or had, an aura of invincibility, but it has been broken.

". . . Whatever they say about Tyson, he's human."

Whatever happens, it's likely Francis' life will never be quite the same.

By all accounts, he's become an overnight star at home. He's been bombarded with attention since the fight was announced, so much so that he's had to train at a secluded military base in suburban London.

The fight, at MEN Stadium in Manchester, is sold out.

"The demands of the British public and media were so intense we had to get him away from it," said Frank Maloney, Francis' manager. "The most secure place we could find was a military base. He's under lock and key."

An entirely different type of lock and key from that of a decade ago, which is a testament to how far Francis has come.

"I was in prison the last time in 1989," he said. "I said then that I would use my abilities as a fighter to make something of myself.

"This is where it got me."

DUMB MOVE, AGAIN: The only thing dumber than Felix Trinidad's decision to forsake a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya was to do it again.

It was announced after negotiations broke down initially that Trinidad would move up to 154 pounds and face David Reid in lieu of a more lucrative rematch with De La Hoya.

After that fight fell through, Trinidad had another chance to make the rematch, but promoters Don King (Trinidad) and Bob Arum (De La Hoya) again couldn't come to terms.

Now, Trinidad-Reid is back on for March 4 and who knows when - or if - a second Trinidad-De La Hoya fight will take place.

Trinidad would've earned an estimated $20 million against De La Hoya. Against Reid, speculation is he'll make about $5 million.

So why go with Reid?

Because Arum, who believes rightly that his fighter remains the bigger draw, refused to reverse terms of the first Trinidad-De La Hoya fight, in which De La Hoya made an estimated $23 million to Trinidad's $14 million.

So, for the few million in dispute, Trinidad is willing to give up a monster payday and the spotlight of a major rematch.

It doesn't make sense.

"Logic is not one of the strong suits in the boxing business," Arum said.

APPLAUSE: Well, no one can accuse Lennox Lewis of ducking the best contenders.

The undisputed heavyweight champ is near a deal to defend his titles against Michael Grant in a battle of giants on April 29 at Madison Square Garden.

Some consider Grant the best heavyweight in the world.

"I only want to fight the best, and out of all the people out there, Grant is the most credible," Lewis said.

However, Grant isn't the ONLY credible opponent out there.

Lewis was off base when he said: "I want to fight Grant to give the other organizations a chance to find a worthy man for me to fight."

David Tua, the IBF's No. 1 contender and perhaps the most fearsome fighter in the world, is plenty worthy and just might've been deemed by Lewis and Co. to be too much of a threat.

To keep his IBF belt, Lewis must face that organization's top contender by November.

RABBIT PUNCHES: Police say they are still investigating an accusation that Oscar De La Hoya raped a woman last month....

Former lightweight champion Rafael Ruelas of Studio City could face fast-rising Hector Camacho Jr. in March, according to his promoter, Dan Goossen.

Goossen was considering the bout for the Tyson-Francis card....

Promoter Cedric Kushner announced he will stage his monthly all-heavyweight series, "Heavyweight Explosion," solely at New York City's Manhattan Center.

The next card, on Jan. 27, features a bout between Kirk Johnson and Monte Barrett on Jan. 27....

Heavyweight Lawrence Clay-Bey, a 1996 Olympian, has recovered from a hand injury and will fight Terrence Lewis on Jan. 23 in Venice, Fla. on Fox Sports Net.

Clay-Bey (10-0, 8 KOs) has fought only once since April of 1998 because of injuries. In his last fight, last August, he outpointed Dale Crowe....

Undefeated welterweight contender Vernon Forrest will face veteran Vince Phillips in a 12-round bout on Jan. 22 in Las Vegas. In the main event, Shane Mosley of Pomona will face Willy Wise.

It will be Forrest's first appearance on HBO.

If Forrest wins, he's expected to fight on the undercard of the Fernando Vargas-Ike Quartey fight on April 15 in Las Vegas....

Arturo Gatti returns to the ring against capable, but light-hitting Joey Gamache on Feb. 26 in New York....

Heavyweight contender Andrew Golota tore cartilage in his knee and partially tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the automobile accident that killed his passenger last month.

He will have arthroscopic surgery and is expected to be out no more than eight weeks.

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Photo: Julius Francis, the British heavyweight champion, will fight Mike Tyson on Jan. 29 in Manchester, England. Francis and Tyson have followed similar paths to the ring.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press