Mike Tyson had promised it would be spectacular, and the self-proclaimed animal of the ring was as good as his word. No ear biting, no late punches or any other kind of rule infringements were perpetrated to send the Marquis of Queensberry spinning in his grave; instead, the former world heavyweight champion produced four minutes and three seconds of pugilistic mayhem to condemn Julius Francis to a brave but utterly predictable defeat in their hugely hyped meeting on Saturday night.

After the weeks of controversy and unprecedented publicity, there was always the possibility the fight would be an anti-climax, but few in the 21,000 crowd which roared its thunderous approval seemed remotely concerned that the contest, such as it was, ended so quickly.

In the years in which he has pursued his intoxicatingly violent trade, Tyson can rarely have experienced a better reception than that given to him by the packed MEN Arena. In many ways, Tyson is a throwback. As he stepped into sight there were none of the laser shows or disco dancing that so infuriate the purists.

As he marched to the ring surrounded by a phalanx of minders, the roof almost shook from the reverberating voices of those who stood to acclaim sport's most vilified figure, re-born in Britain as an unlikely hero.

"I'd like to thank Jack Straw for inviting me to this country, and thank the Kray family for sending me flowers," said Tyson immediately after the fight, his happiness plain to see. But later there was regret in his voice, as he contemplated the speedy return to the US he had been ordered to make by the home secretary when Straw allowed Tyson into the country under "exceptional circumstances".

"After being so good here, I have to go back home and be treated like a monster," Tyson said.

His team speak of a need to build Tyson's confidence. The public reaction, by and large, has been a bonus, but Francis was hand-picked to showcase what remains of the Tyson fighting talent.

As the pre-fight announcement boomed out, Francis danced from foot to foot. An hour earlier, he had walked to the ring to test the tension of the ropes. Surely, at 35, the slow-moving journeyman turned British champion was not about to adopt an Ali-style, rope-a-dope policy, which would have induced a state of apoplexy among the watching paramedics? He was not. Instead, when the bell rang, Francis chose to try and meet fire with fire, to slug it out in a toe-to-toe battle which might have been a valiant gesture, but as a strategy was doomed.

In the first round he was down twice; first when Tyson exploded a classic short right uppercut on to his jaw, then when a ramrod jab sent him crumbling as the bell sounded.

There was no way back in the second, Tyson switching his attack to the body with devastating effect. A left hook put Francis down as he winced with pain, then a right thudded into his ample midriff with the same result. Bravely, too bravely some were beginning to say, Francis hauled himself to his feet.

"Are you alright?" shouted the referee Roy Francis, before sending him out once more.

Iron Mike may have been rusty, but there was no way his heavy artillery could fail now. Another right hand crashed into the jaw of his stricken opponent and, as the Londoner fell forward to go down a fifth time, the referee waved the fight over.

"I knew he would show a lot of heart," said Tyson afterwards. "I wanted to come in and bang the body. I think I've got a long way to go before I fight for the title, but I'm still trying. I just wish I felt as good as everyone said I looked." Later, when faced with the huge contingent of reporters, photographers and television cameras, Tyson said he was "getting better" and repeatedly thanked fans who continued to chant their approval even as security men attempted to usher them from the arena.

"Thank you Manchester, I love you," he shouted, before addressing the weightier issue of whether or not defeating an out-classed opponent in a British ring could begin to alter the way he is perceived by many fans of the sport in the United States. There, it seems, his three-year jail sentence for rape, his road rage attack and his chewing of Evander Holyfield's ear are not so readily forgiven.

"I don't know," said Tyson. "I've been falsely accused of raping somebody. I didn't rape nobody. I may have been accused of being a schmuk or being rude or something, but by no means have I violated a woman's chastity. But I'm going to be stuck with that stigma for a long time." The commercial success of the Manchester venue means Tyson will fight in Europe again, and could be back in Britain in June provided he is allowed to enter the country.

The promoter Frank Warren is adamant Tyson's presence presents no threat and argues: "I just wish someone would ring up the Grosvenor House Hotel or the Midland Hotel in Manchester.

"Of course I'll sing his praises, but they loved him as well. His whole team were professional and complete gentlemen," he said.