Henry Tillman

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Men's Boxing
Olympic medal record
Gold	Los Angeles 1984	Heavyweight

Henry Durand Tillman (born August 1, 1960) is an American boxer. Tillman was a former juvenile delinquent, who was introduced to boxing and flourished. Tillman beat Mike Tyson twice as an amateur and then went on to win a heavyweight hold medal for the United States in the 1984 Summer Olympics. A year earlier he won a silver medal at the Pan American Games.

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. However, in 1987 he was able to secure a shot at WBA Cruiserweight Title holder Evander Holyfield. Holyfield dropped Tillman four times en route to a 7th round TKO. Tillman later lost to Willie DeWitt in a rematch of their 1984 Heavweight Olympic Final bout. In 1990, he took on Tyson in Tyson's comeback bout after his loss to James "Buster" Douglas. Tyson knocked him out in the first round.

In 1996 Tillman was arrested and charged with murdering a man outside a Nevada casino. He has since been sentenced to prison.

Now free, Tillman spoke exclusively to Boxing Monthly about what he calls his "lost years."

"I was in prison six years. 72 months to be exact. I can tell you the exact days, hours, minutes [he checks his watch] and even the seconds because I kept count."

Tillman, looking almost as good as he did in his "heyday", is planning a comeback. So far, his steps are small. The lure of the gym is not as exciting now as it once was. Some days he trains, other days he still runs, but finds excuses not to hit the treadmill, not to spar.

"It's hard to explain what prison was like to somebody who hasn't been there," said Tillman during a lull in his evening job as "host" at an Egyptian restaurant in Los Angeles.