Dominique Francis: A Young Fighter in Flow

When speaking with junior lightweight prospect Dominique Francis (16-0, 10 KOs), the words flow out of him in perfect rhythm. The South Florida-based Francis is nicknamed "Trapp," which to him has multiple meanings. One meaning is his style in the ring. Francis, an athletic and cerebral fighter, likes to set traps for his opponents. To Francis, his style is fluid. He doesn't mind fighting inside or outside, as a boxer or a puncher. His goal is to find a weakness in an opponent and get the victory. 

Then comes the music. Francis has been making music his whole life. And Trap is a dominant style of hip-hop music that originated in the South. But to Francis, the music, rhythm and flow is much more than just sounds, it's very much his family's way of life. With his Haitian roots, Francis talks about the central role of music in connecting with his ancestral culture. 

"Before I was a fighter," he said, "I wanted to be a full-time musician. My uncle is a musician, my uncle on the other side is a musician. My cousin is a musician. In Haitian culture, music is very important. It’s who I am. It’s a part of me."

Photo courtesy of Lee Bates

Although music has been a part of his life since he can remember, the 24-year-old isn't a newcomer to boxing. He started boxing when he was 10. He's sparred Teofimo Lopez off-and-on for over 10 years. He won a Junior Olympics tournament as an amateur. He squared off against noted fighters like Marc Castro, Malik Warren and Joshua Pagan during his unpaid days. 

Despite his early success in the pros, Francis still doesn't have a large profile in the sport as he enters his seventh year in the paid ranks. He knows that's about to change. He's had conversations and offers from notable players in the boxing market, but to this point he hasn't found the right fit. However, he's not worried about it. He believes that his time is coming. 

"I know that the future will be bright," he said. "I will do my job. There are a lot of promoters out there. Whatever promotional company I get with, they are getting a star, a future star that’s going to take over the sport, a face that is going to be recognized for a long time."

That's certainly not timid talk and there's a nod to Lopez with takeover reference, but to Francis, the talk is as natural as the fighting. 

There isn't a ton of tape on Francis, but in the few fights that are available online, one will notice a fighter with a fluid style that can change round-by-round. He can dominate rounds with his jab; he can sharpshoot with counters, he can dig right hands to the body, he can use his foot speed to neutralize aggression. For a fighter comparison, Francis possesses several characteristics similar to Richardson Hitchins. He's certainly rawer than Hitchins, but they are both fluid athletes with good jabs, sneaky right hands and an emphasis on fundamentals. 

In one of Francis' more notable opportunities, he fought Braian Arguello on the "KO to Drugs" card in Argentina in 2023. In hostile territory against a local opponent, Francis scored a knockdown and was himself dropped on his way to winning a unanimous decision. (Francis says that was the only time in his pro or amateur career that he's been on the canvas.)

But let's back up for a second. What's an American prospect doing fighting rugged opponents in Argentina for his developmental bouts? And this is where things get particularly interesting for Francis. In just 16 pro fights, Francis has already fought in four countries, (the U.S., Colombia, Argentina and Mexico). This is certainly not the tried-and-true formula for most American prospects. But without a large promotional company behind him, Francis, like many young fighters, has struggled to get opportunities. So, his management has looked abroad to further his career. And Francis has learned a lot about himself during his time on the road. 

"It’s a situation that you’re not used to," he said. "One you didn’t think about, one you’re not prepared for. It was about mental fortitude. It was about being ready wherever you are at. You have a job to do and finish the job. Handle your business. 

"It showed me that in an uncomfortable situation I’m able to relax. A lot of people when they come to an uncomfortable situation, they panic. So, I proved that to myself. It’s uncomfortable but I’m getting the job done. And I'm better for it."

Francis (left) connecting with a jab
Photo courtesy of Lee Bates

Francis is trained by longtime South Florida coach Derik Santos and his father, Smith Francis. The two-headed team has different points of emphasis in their coaching. Santos, who has been in the corner with Nate Campbell, Randall Bailey, Argenis Mendez and Rances Barthelemy among others, preaches fine margins, that the difference between good and great fighters often comes down to small details. He's about movement, punch placement and strategy. Smith Francis brings the motivation, the aggression and the shared struggle of the family. Together they are trying to mold a well-rounded fighter who is comfortable against any opponent or style. 

Dominique is also a big fan of film study. Although he rolls off the names of several top fighters of the past as his favorites, such as Ali, Leonard, Tyson and Jones, he also tries to incorporate attributes from fighters who aren't as foundational in the sport. He loves the movement and caginess of Cory Spinks and Paul Spadafora. He thinks that Andre Berto threw a tremendous uppercut. He sings the praises of Shane Mosley's aggression. 

Studying the greats has helped him visualize how he will win in the ring. "If I'm facing a southpaw," he said, "I'm going to be focusing on my right side: straight right hand, right hook, right uppercut. If I'm fighting an orthodox opponent, that's when my jab comes out, my left hook. Different opponents will bring out different sides of me. Each fight, each opponent calls for different things." 

Francis is close to announcing his next fight date. He plans on being back in the ring no later than March in the U.S. And while he's confident in his abilities, he understands that he needs to keep improving every aspect of his game. He knows that only by being in the gym, by working, by out-working, will he be able to defeat all comers. 

"I will continue to work on everything until the day I retire," he said. "My whole overall game will continue to improve. Jabs, setting up shots, the placements, the counters, the traps. I’m not the polished fighter yet, but I will get there. I'm working every day...

"But I have a lot of stuff in my arsenal. I was blessed by a higher power with all this. And I want to put all of it to use." 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

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Filling the Void, and a New Void Created?

Let's remember how Riyadh Season started to gain momentum. Some big fights that should have been happening in boxing weren't. Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder were three of the biggest names in the sport and yet for whatever reason, Joshua had never fought either opponent. Oleksandr Usyk was crashing the heavyweight party, but he was a man without a home base. His risk vs. reward profile forced him to go the mandatory route for a championship, because the big players in the sport weren't putting their money behind him. 

Furthermore, Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev had been circling each other for years as fellow light heavyweight champs, but no one was willing to put up enough money for that fight to transpire. 

In stepped Turki Alalshikh and the Saudi Arabian government to get these fights over the line. Fights like Fury-Usyk and Beterbiev-Bivol were vital for this era of boxing. They helped determine who was truly the best in their respective divisions. There's a tremendous value in providing a definitive outcome in boxing instead of leaving a generation of "what ifs." 

Turki Alalshikh (center) at the Ring Magazine Awards
Photo courtesy of the WBA

As Riyadh Season has continued to gain prominence in boxing, the organization has designs on a complete paradigm shift in the sport. Recently, they announced a partnership with TKO Group Holdings, the entity that owns the UFC and WWE, to create a league for young developmental fighters. With most of the major promoters in the sport now feeding from their generous till, Riyadh Season is determined to bring even more big boxing events to Saudi Arabia. 

This is where things start to get a little dicey. Alalshikh has already mentioned that he would like to have the Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney rematch as a featured event in Saudi Arabia later this year. Now their fight did solid box office numbers at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, although the pay per view buys were a little softer than expected. But still, with the controversy surrounding their first fight, the rematch was guaranteed to do big business wherever it would've been held. 

And here is where the problem lies for those who want boxing to succeed. Taking important fights away from local markets can only hurt the sport's ability to generate new fans. 

Although boxing has created a lot of fans from its televised product over the generations, ask anyone who has attended a great live fight and he or she will tell you that it's among the best sporting experiences that they've ever experienced. Seeing a live fight helps cement the bonds of fandom in the sport. It increases one's passion and devotion to boxing. As great as it is to watch a fight on television the rush of adrenaline in seeing a memorable live fight is incomparable. 

And let's face it, not too many Americans will be traveling to Saudi Arabia for boxing. We're talking thousands upon thousands of dollars and the better part of two days of travel. That's a scenario for someone to do a couple of times in their life, instead of heading to Vegas or Los Angeles or Dallas or New York on a more frequent basis. 

This is not to say that Riyadh Season shouldn't have a place in creating important boxing fights. Take the Beterbiev-Bivol rematch; that is the perfect fight for Saudi Arabia to host. The undercard heavyweight fight between Zhilei Zhang and Agit Kabayel should produce a lot of fireworks as well. That's another fight that looks great on paper but doesn't have a logical geographic location. It's a natural destination for Saudi Arabia. But why would light heavyweights like Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith need to fight in Saudi Arabia? That's a fight that would do solid business headlining in the U.K. That's subtracting a big fight from an important market. 

Beterbiev-Bivol was a signature Riyadh Season event
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Ritual is vital for spectator sports. Going to live events is shared by families, friends and co-workers. Live sporting events create indelible memories. They also reconfirm a commitment to a sport. If major home matchups were taken away from NFL fans or English Premier League fans, over time the level of interest would taper off. Fans want to see Cowboys-Eagles at the Big D or Liverpool-Manchester United at Anfield. By taking away the sport's showpieces, fans' excitement level and commitment to the sport would be lessened. The centerpiece sporting events are what people want to spend that hard-earned money on. 

Boxing needs Los Angeles and London and Tokyo and Sydney. It requires a vibrant global marketplace so that fighters can be developed and built into champions. For all of the resources that Riyadh Season has, what they don't have are the generations of experience in scouting and developing fighters. This is the main job of promoters: identifying boxers who could be world champions and building them up not just as athletes but as marketable attractions. And without thriving local markets for boxing, where are the opportunities to do the kind of nuts-and-bolts development that is required to produce the next wave of talent? 

Much is still to be determined. Who knows when and how the TKO deal will get off the ground? I'm sure that the developmental league will be armed with buckets of money, but so much about boxing is about connections. Fighters often follow the advice of their trainers and managers. They are looking for organizations with track records of success. How many will want to be guinea pigs for a new endeavor? Will their development fights be in their home country? How often will they be fighting? Who will be guiding them? These are paramount questions that aren't just solved with money. The smart ones know that when it comes to development, it's not always just about flashy per-fight guarantees. 

Riyadh Season, like many who have come before them, believe that they can eventually dominate the sport. And let's face it, they have the purse strings and the negotiating muscle to facilitate many changes in boxing. Some of these changes are worthwhile. Promoters should be working together more. Fighters should be facing better competition. Higher risk deserves bigger dollars. 

But there are potential downsides too. Boxing requires fan participation for its sustenance. On a more granular level, major boxing markets need big fights as well. Boxing will not be healthy if key fight cities only have B- and C-level product. 

Alalshikh has stated his desire to increase Saudi Arabia's tourism, to diversify the country's GDP, so it becomes a little less reliant on the fossil fuels industry. Those goals are understandable. He sees boxing, and more recently a large investment in DAZN, as ways to help create more revenue that is less dependent on the spot price of crude oil. 

Hopefully other key stakeholders in boxing realize that a little bit of moderation will be required. Yes, Saudi Arabia should remain an option for certain fights, and even certain big fights where there isn't a natural box office market commensurate with the talent of the fighters in question. There is a significant role for that Riyadh Season could play. But I hope that the other key promoters and broadcasters in the sport realize that their local markets must have a healthy boxing scene for the sport to thrive. Without butts in seats, the sport will whittle away even more of its current fanbase. 

I'm not saying that all of these decisions are necessarily easy or straight-forward. Deals have to be made. Some horse trading will be inevitable. But I'm hoping that the key stakeholders involved understand that in addition to being profitable entities, that they also have a role as stewards for the sport. If there is to be big-time boxing around the world in future generations, they will have to take prudent stands every now and then to fight for what is best the long-term future of the sport. One also needs to hedge against the possibility that Saudi Arabia curtails its interest in the sport. If all the eggs are in one basket, what is left to come home to? 

Boxing has always had a problem thinking long-term. The terrible decision to take the sport off of network TV in America for premium cable certainly led to shorter-term riches for generations of promoters. But over time, the survivors understood the long-term damage that was done to the sport. Boxing hemorrhaged fans and lost its grip in the broader cultural discussion. 

Now is a chance for the wise actors in the room to understand the choices that they face. Saudi Arabia can be a vital source of revenue for the sport and also further the careers of many fighters, but without thriving local boxing markets, the sport could dry up like a desert mirage.  

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

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