Henry Tillman

Henry Durand Tillman (born August 1, 1960) is an American former professional boxer. He won a Gold 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 (to whom he lost in 1988 in professionals.)

Highlights
United States National Championships (super heavyweight), Indianapolis, Indiana, December 1982: USA–USSR Duals (super heavyweight), Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, March 1983: USA–Cuba Duals (heavyweight), Havana, Cuba, April 1983: National Sports Festival (heavyweight), Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 1983: Pan Am Box-Offs (178 lbs), St. Louis, Missouri, August 1983: Pan American Games (heavyweight), Caracas, Venezuela, August 1983: USA–Bulgaria Duals (light heavyweight), Rapid City, South Dakota, October 1983:
 * 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
 * Lost to Alexander Yagubkin (Soviet Union) by decision
 * Lost to Hermenegildo Báez (Cuba) by unanimous decision, 0–5
 * 1/2: Defeated Henry Milligan RSC 2
 * Finals (Pan Am Trials): Defeated Richard Johnson by majority decision, 4–1
 * Defeated (no data available)
 * 1/2: Defeated Virgilio Frias (Dominicana) by majority decision, 4–1
 * Finals: Lost to Aurelio Toyo (Cuba) by majority decision, 1–4
 * Lost to Deyan Kirilov (Bulgaria) by unanimous decision, 0–3

United States National Championships (heavyweight), Colorado Springs, Colorado, November 1983: USA–Combined Team of GBR & Canada Duals (heavyweight), Reno, Nevada, November 1983: National Golden Gloves (heavyweight), St. Louis, Missouri, April 1984: Olympic Trials (heavyweight), Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas, June 1984: Olympic Box-Offs (heavyweight), Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, July 1984: Olympic Games (heavyweight), Los Angeles, California, August 1984:
 * 1/8: Lost to Henry Milligan by split decision, 2–3
 * Finals: Lost to Willie DeWitt (Canada) KO 1 (1:55)
 * 1/4: Defeated Terry Anderson by decision
 * 1/2: Lost to Jonathan Littles by walkover
 * 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 (Tillman knocked down at 2:02 of the 1st rd)
 * Defeated Mike Tyson by majority decision, 4–1
 * 1/8: Defeated Kaliq Singh (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 Willie DeWitt (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 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.