James Tillis

James Tillis: The Fighting Cowboy. Born on July 5, 1957, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, James Theodore Tillis was an American professional boxer and actor. He had a remarkable 22-year boxing career from 1978 to 2001.

At the beginning of his career, Tillis won 20 fights, including a fantastic performance against Ron Stander in 1980. Stander had once challenged Joe Frazier for the heavyweight title, and Tillis seemed to have defeated him quite easily via seventh-round knockout. During the beginning of his career, Tillis had tremendous success, winning 16 out of his first 20 fights by knockout.

On October 3, 1981, Tillis had his first world title fight against Mike Weaver for the WBA championship. Despite his best efforts, however, he lost to Weaver via a 15-round unanimous decision.

Throughout his career, Tillis had been in numerous fights and had gained a lot of experience. He held notable wins over fighters such as Earnie Shavers and Ron Stander. He was also known for being the first man to go the distance with the legendary Mike Tyson in 1986. That fight ended Tyson's knockout-streak, and Tillis gave him a close fight, with two of three judges scoring the fight 6-to-4.

Like any boxer, Tillis had his fair share of defeats. He lost a total of 22 fights during his career, one of them in a title bout and 21 in non-title bouts. Tillis suffered his first loss against Mike Weaver. He went on to lose 11 fights via knockout and another 11 via a decision.

After his impressive start, however, Tillis went into a bit of a slump. In his next few fights, Tillis was knocked out by undefeated contender Pinklon Thomas via an 8th round knockout loss, and by Tim Witherspoon in one round. Tillis challenged Carl Williams in a world title eliminator in 1984, but lost via a points decision, having suffered from exhaustion. Tillis continued to train, and even traveled to South Africa to fight hard-hitting ex-champ Gerrie Coetzee. Although Tillis lost a unanimous decision, he put up an excellent performance and even sent Coetzee to the hospital with stitches and missing teeth.

After extensive medical examination, Tillis' recurrent fatigue midway through fights was found to derive from a severe allergy to the classic fighter's diet of milk and eggs. A doctor provided Tillis with a more suitable diet in his training for his upcoming fight with Mike Tyson in 1986.

Tillis appeared to be a new man as he exchanged blows with Tyson and gave the future two-time champion an incredibly tough fight. Although he ultimately lost, he was the first person ever to take Iron Mike to the distance.

Tillis managed to continue fighting in his later years, even if he never returned to his previous form, always trying to recapture his former glory. He fought on and off until 2001 and had his last fight with Rob Calloway when he was 44 years old.

Although he retired with a record of 42-22-1, which included 31 knockout wins and 11 losses via knockout, Tillis has gained immense respect among boxing fans.

James Tillis, a man known for his fast hand speed and powerful jab, fought against some of the best during his time in the ring. Through his remarkable pursuit of excellence, he proved that consistent hard work and dedication could help anyone attain greatness.

James Tillis Fight Record