Henry Gill
Name: Henry Gill
Birth Name: Henry Agusta Gill
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Birthplace: Belize City, Belize
Died: 2015-06-12 (Age:62)
Stance: Orthodox
Pro Boxer: Record
Henry Gill started his career in the early 1970s, fighting in Belize, Mexico, and Costa Rica. He moved to the USA in 1976, and to Chicago in 1981.
BELIZE CITY, Mon. July 30, 2012
By Roy Davis
Young aspiring boxers in Belize should take advantage of the opportunity to train with former boxer Henry Gill, 59, at the gym, located on the ground floor of the Community Centre in Ladyville.
Gill has held a lot of experience as a professional boxer and trained at home and abroad.
He is focused right now on reviving boxing in Belize like it was in the 1970s when he used to box professionally in the lightweight division.
“I have a passion for the sport and I want to bring it back like the days when we had good exciting boxers such as Raymond “Sixteen” Thompson, David Dakers, Fitzroy Guiseppi and Rhamdas”, said Gill.
Gill’s first fight as a professional was against Chester Audinett. It was in the early 1970s and it was at the Bird’s Isle. Audinett knocked out Gill in the second round of a scheduled 10 round bout.
Gill chalked up his loss to inexperience.
His next fight was with a Mexican, Rodolfo Rodriguez, who was the lightweight champion of Chetumal. The fight, a 10-round bout, went the distance and Gill won it by unanimous decision.
Gill then went on to fight Raul Molina, the lightweight champion of Mexico. Molina proved too much for him and Molina knocked him out in the second round.
Gill’s next contender was another Mexican, Jorge Gonzalez. He knocked out Gonzalez in the third round of a scheduled 10-round bout.
Gill fought another Mexican, Jose Jones, who was the lightweight champion of Quintana Roo, Mexico. In the fight which was held in Chetumal, Gill won by unanimous decision.
Then in 1976 Gill fought his first title fight. His opponent was Alvaro Rojas, the lightweight champion of Costa Rica. Gill said he lost the fight for the most part because he was not feeling well due to the fact that he changed his diet when he went to Costa Rica.
“I just stayed down and did not get up when he knocked me down in the second round”, he said.
Gill’ last fight in Belize was against Cleophas Lord. He beat Lord by technical knockout in the second round. Lord decided not to continue the fight after Gill knocked him down.
Gill then migrated to the United States and he went to live in Los Angeles where he continued his professional boxing career. His first two fights were losses and they were against Mexicans. One fight was held at the Sports Arena and the other was held at the Olympic Auditorium. In the second fight Gill was cut over his right eye from a head butt and the referee stopped the fight.
Gill also lost his third fight, one that he fought against a Mexican in Long Beach, California.
Gill then moved to Chicago in 1981 and at the age of 34 he beat Deral Curtis, an American Golden Gloves champion who had fought with Meldrick Taylor, the number one contender for the lightweight championship of the World.
Gill fought Curtis a second time, but in the second fight there was a dispute as to who was the winner and the fight was declared a draw.
Gill’s last fight, the one that made him decide to quit, was against Donald Collins. He said Collins gave him a rabbit punch to the back of his head in the third round and he fell to the canvas unconscious. He said he was out for a long while and when he fully regained consciousness he made a mental note to resign from boxing.
Gill then turned to training boxers. The first boxer he trained was an American, Russel Furie who was ranked 49th out of 100.
Furie fought a Mexican, Avila and the fight ended in a draw.
Gill then quit training boxers and he went to work as a maintenance worker at the Holiday Inn.
He returned to Belize in August last year and since then he has shown an avid interest in trying to revive boxing.
“Boxing will get back in Belize; all we need is patience; and I want it to be at a higher level than when I used to box”, said Gill
To achieve that goal, Gill has teamed up with trainer Clinton Tucker and he vows that when they reach the top of their game, Amateur boxers will look like professionals.