Henry Tillman


Henry Durand Tillman is an American former professional boxer. He won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics as a Heavyweight. He scored notable wins over Cruiserweight Champions Uriah Grant and Tyrone Booze.

Early life

Tillman was born in Los Angeles, California.

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, considered the world's #1 amateur heavyweight by the AIBA in 1984

Highlights

, Indianapolis, Indiana, 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, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, March 1983:
USA–Cuba Duals, Havana, Cuba, April 1983:
  • Lost to Hermenegildo Báez by unanimous decision, 0–5
National Sports Festival, Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 1983:
  • 1/2: Defeated Henry Milligan RSC 2
  • Finals : Defeated Richard Johnson by majority decision, 4–1
Pan Am Box-Offs, St. Louis, Missouri, August 1983:
  • Defeated
Pan American Games, Caracas, Venezuela, August 1983:
  • 1/2: Defeated Virgilio Frias by majority decision, 4–1
  • Finals: Lost to Aurelio Toyo by majority decision, 1–4
USA–Bulgaria Duals, Rapid City, South Dakota, October 1983:
United States National Championships, Colorado Springs, Colorado, November 1983:
  • 1/8: Lost to Henry Milligan by split decision, 2–3
USA–Combined Team of GBR & Canada Duals, Reno, Nevada, November 1983:
  • Finals: Lost to Willie DeWitt KO 1
National Golden Gloves, St. Louis, Missouri, April 1984:
  • 1/4: Defeated Terry Anderson by decision
  • 1/2: Lost to Jonathan Littles by walkover
Olympic Trials, Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas, 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 by unanimous decision, 5–0
Olympic Box-Offs, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, July 1984:
  • Defeated Mike Tyson by majority decision, 4–1
Olympic Games, Los Angeles, California, August 1984:
  • 1/8: Defeated Kaliq Singh RSCH 1
  • 1/4: Defeated Tevita Taufo'ou RSCH 2
  • 1/2: Defeated Angelo Musone by unanimous decision, 5–0
  • Finals: Defeated Willie DeWitt 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 via a decision. In 1987 he secured a bout at WBA Cruiserweight Title holder Evander Holyfield. 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 Mike Tyson 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, Tillman played contender "Tim Simms" who lost a bout to "Tommy Gunn" played by Tommy Morrison.

Personal life

At the 1984 Summer Olympics Henry met his bride-to-be Gina Hemphill, a granddaughter of Jesse Owens, she carried the torch into the Los Angeles Coliseum at the opening ceremony, and worked as a production assistant on The Oprah Winfrey Show 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