Henry Durand Tillman (born August 1, 1960) is an American former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

Early life

Tillman was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Amateur career

Tillman twice defeated Mike Tyson as an amateur, winning both bouts via close decisions. Tillman went on to win heavyweight gold at the Los Angeles Olympics against highly touted Canadian boxer

Willie DeWitt William Theodore deWit, Q.C. (born June 13, 1961) is a Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta sitting in Calgary since 2017. Previously, he was a criminal defence lawyer and a professional boxer. He represented Canada at the 1984 Sum ...

, considered the world's #1 amateur heavyweight by the AIBA in 1984 (to whom he lost in 1988 in professionals.)

Highlights

United States National Championships (super heavyweight),

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, December 1982: * 1/16: Defeated Howard Lake by split decision, 3–2 * 1/8: Defeated William Ross RSC 2 * 1/4: Lost to Mark Mahone by majority decision, 1–4 USA–USSR Duals (super heavyweight),

Indiana Convention Center The Indiana Convention Center is a major convention center located in Downtown Indianapolis, Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The original structure was completed in 1972 and has undergone five expansions. In total, there are 71 meeting rooms, 11 ...

, March 1983: * Lost to

Alexander Yagubkin Alexander Gennadiyevich Yagubkin (25 April 1961 – 7 August 2013) was a Ukrainian amateur boxer who competed between 1979 and 1988. The only Soviet boxer to become the World heavyweight champion (1982,) never turned professional for political ...

(Soviet Union) by decision USA–Cuba Duals (heavyweight),

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, April 1983: * Lost to Hermenegildo Báez (Cuba) by unanimous decision, 0–5 National Sports Festival (heavyweight),

Olympic Training Center The United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Centers (OPTCs) are two campuses created by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as training facilities for its Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They are located in Colorado Spri ...

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, June 1983: *1/2: Defeated Henry Milligan RSC 2 *Finals (Pan Am Trials): Defeated Richard Johnson by majority decision, 4–1 Pan Am Box-Offs (178 lbs),

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, August 1983: * Defeated (no data available)

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

(heavyweight),

Caracas, Venezuela Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

, August 1983: * 1/2: Defeated

Virgilio Frias Virgilio Frias is a Dominican Republic boxer. He competed in the men's heavyweight event at the 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an internati ...

(Dominicana) by majority decision, 4–1 * Finals: Lost to Aurelio Toyo (Cuba) by majority decision, 1–4 USA–Bulgaria Duals (light heavyweight),

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

, October 1983: * Lost to

Deyan Kirilov Deyan Kirilov ( bg, Деян Кирилов; born June 20, 1964, in Sofia) is a retired boxer from Bulgaria, who competed for his native country at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul ...

(Bulgaria) by unanimous decision, 0–3 United States National Championships (heavyweight),

, November 1983: *1/8: Lost to Henry Milligan by split decision, 2–3 USA–Combined Team of GBR & Canada Duals (heavyweight),

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

, November 1983: * Finals: Lost to

(Canada) KO 1

National Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States, where they are awarded a belt and a ring. And the title of nations champion is awarded. The Golden Gloves is a term used to refer to the Nationa ...

(heavyweight),

, April 1984: * 1/4: Defeated Terry Anderson by decision * 1/2: Lost to Jonathan Littles by walkover Olympic Trials (heavyweight),

Tarrant County Convention Center The Fort Worth Convention Center (formerly known as the Tarrant County Convention Center) is a convention center and indoor arena located in Sundance Square in Fort Worth, Texas. The complex opened on September 30, 1968, and was expanded in 1983, ...

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, June 1984: * 1/4: Defeated Olian Alexander by majority decision, 4–1 * 1/2: Defeated James Pritchard by majority decision, 4–1 * Finals: Defeated

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...

by unanimous decision, 5–0 Olympic Box-Offs (heavyweight),

Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesars P ...

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, July 1984: * Defeated

by majority decision, 4–1

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

(heavyweight),

, August 1984: * 1/8: Defeated

Kaliq Singh Kaliq Singh (born 9 August 1950) is an Indian boxer. He competed in the men's heavyweight event at the 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an int ...

(India) RSCH 1 * 1/4: Defeated Tevita Taufo'ou (Tonga) RSCH 2 * 1/2: Defeated Angelo Musone (Italy) by unanimous decision, 5–0 * Finals: Defeated

(Canada) by unanimous decision, 5–0

Professional career

Tillman turned pro in 1984 as a cruiserweight and had a disappointing professional career, primarily due to a weak chin. In 1986, he was knocked down twice and upset by

Bert Cooper Bertram Cooper (January 10, 1966 – May 10, 2019), nicknamed Smokin' Bert Cooper, was an American professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2012. He fought Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Riddick Bowe, Michael Moorer, Chris Byrd, Ray ...

via a decision. In 1987 he secured a bout at WBA Cruiserweight Title holder

Evander Holyfield Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed champion at cruiserweight in the late 1980s and at heavyweight in the early 1990s, and is the on ...

. Holyfield dropped Tillman three times en route to a 7th-round TKO, according to WBA rules. Tillman later lost to Willie DeWitt in a rematch of their 1984 Heavyweight Olympic Final bout. In 1990, he took on

in Tyson's comeback bout after his loss to James "Buster" Douglas. Tyson knocked him out in the first round. He finished his professional career with a record of 25-6-0 with 16 knockouts. In the movie

Rocky V ''Rocky V'' is a 1990 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen (the first time since the first film of the franchise), written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to ''Rocky IV'' (1985) and is the fifth install ...

, Tillman played contender "Tim Simms" who lost a bout to "Tommy Gunn" played by

Tommy Morrison Tommy "The Duke" Morrison (January 2, 1969 – September 1, 2013) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2008, and held the WBO heavyweight title in 1993. He retired from boxing in 1996 when he tested positive for HIV. Mor ...

Personal life

At the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

Henry met his bride-to-be Gina Hemphill, a granddaughter of

Jesse Owens James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lifet ...

, she carried the torch into the

Los Angeles Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a mem ...

at the opening ceremony, and worked as a

production assistant A production assistant, also known as a PA, is a member of the film crew and is a job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production. The job of a PA can vary greatly depending on the budget ...

on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

'' in Chicago. In 1987 they were married among friends and Olympic teammates.

Legal issues

In February 2001, Tillman was sentenced to six years in prison for a 1996, attempted murder and voluntary manslaughter charge, and released from custody in 2002. In July 2004, Tillman was sentenced to 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal identity theft charges.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tillman, Henry 1960 births Living people Boxers from Los Angeles African-American Muslims Olympic boxers of the United States American prisoners and detainees Boxers at the 1983 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Boxers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in boxing African-American boxers American male boxers Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Pan American Games medalists in boxing American sportspeople convicted of crimes American people convicted of attempted murder American people convicted of manslaughter American people convicted of theft Heavyweight boxers Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople