Boxsoup at 18:55, 15 January 2015

2015-01-15T18:55:20Z

Sweetscientist: moved Fight:2903 to Evander Holyfield vs. James Tillis

2012-07-29T00:37:22Z

moved Fight:2903 to Evander Holyfield vs. James Tillis

← Older revision	Revision as of 00:37, 29 July 2012
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Sweetscientist: Created page with "right 2903 *'''Aired On:''' Showtime Championship Boxing Evander Holyfield took the first step on a campaign he h..."

2012-07-29T00:37:01Z

Created page with "300px|thumb|right <fight>2903</fight> *'''Aired On:''' Showtime Championship Boxing Evander Holyfield took the first step on a campaign he h..."

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[[File:HolyfieldTillis.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
<fight>2903</fight>
*'''Aired On:''' [[Showtime Championship Boxing]]

Evander Holyfield took the first step on a campaign he hoped would lead to a title fight against then heavyweight champion Mike Tyson when he stopped James "Quick" Tillis after five rounds.

It was the heavyweight debut for Holyfield, the unbeaten and undisputed cruiserweight champion.

Tillis looked to work behind his trademark jab early and mixed in the occasional right hand, but was countered with heavy punches each time he tried to open up. He was shaken several times in the five rounds, but never went down, although he was on the verge of doing so when the bell ended the fifth.

Holyfield hurt Tillis with a hook during an exchange early in the fifth round. Later, he hurt him with a barrage of punches to the head that sent Tillis reeling along the ropes. Holyfield followed him and hurt him again with a right uppercut and a left to the head. The combination forced Tillis back into the ropes, where Holyfield worked him over with some savage punches to the head.

With Tillis sitting on his stool, his head bowed after the round ended, he appeared to indicate to his corner that he wanted the fight stopped. Referee Richard Steele came over and called Dr. Ed Denhe into the corner. Dehne looked over Tillis briefly, asked him if he wanted to continue, then turned and called for the fight to be ended.

In a bizarre moment, after the bell to end Round 2, the fighters continued to exchange punches and had to be forcibly separated by the referee. During the exchange, Holyfield's trainer [[Lou Duva]] grabbed Tillis's arms from behind and held him back against the ropes. This incited Tillis's trainer Beau Williford who ran across the ring and got into a brief shoving match with Holyfield's corner.

== Notes ==
*Evander Holyfield 18-0 (14 KOs) vs. James Tillis 38-13-1 (29 KOs)
*Holyfield claimed that he would not return to cruiserweight even if he lost, but he did not initially vacate his cruiserweight titles leaving the possibility open to return to fighting at 190 pounds as champion.
*Tillis entered with a record of 3-3-1 in his previous seven bouts, with each loss coming by knockout.
*It was the seventh consecutive knockout win for Holyfield, who went on to increase that streak to 13.

== Quotes ==
*"I feel like I already am a heavyweight. I don't feel like I'm moving up. Tillis is my immediate focus. [[Mike Tyson| Tyson]] is the ultimate goal, he's proven himself to be the best of the heavyweights. When do I want to fight him? I'll know after Saturday." - Evander Holyfield
*"He is a great fighter. Evander is faster than Tyson. he has very good punching power." - James Tillis
*"It was the biggest step in my career. It was not my best performance but it got the job done. Weight wasn't a big issue. I wanted to go in confident and bring some strength.
*"Our goal is not to fight Mike Tyson, but to beat him. His (Holyfield's) next fight will be in the fall. He needs time between fights because he is on a very rigid conditioning program. He can't train while he's on the program." - [[Dan Duva]], Holyfield's promoter.
*"There is no room in boxing for that kind of nonsense! That's hooliganism at any level. That should not be allowed. When tempers flare like that, experienced hands like Lou Duva and Williford should know better than to try and go at each other. That's sometimes called maturity." - Analyst [[Ferdie Pacheco]] on the incident following the second round.

== Sources ==
*"Holyfield will take on the big boys" (1988, July 16) ''The Modesto Bee'' p. D-1. [http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hEcjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jswFAAAAIBAJ&dq=evander%20holyfield%20james%20tillis&pg=5620%2C3293077| Article]
*"Holyfield has eyes on bout with champ" (1988, July 18) ''Lodi News-Sentinel'' p. 14. [http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cZwzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3zIHAAAAIBAJ&dq=evander%20holyfield%20james%20tillis&pg=6096%2C2191625| Article]
*"Holyfield stops Tillis after fifth" (1988, July 17) ''The Pittsburgh Press'' p. D2. [http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qYMcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZGMEAAAAIBAJ&dq=evander%20holyfield%20james%20tillis&pg=6369%2C395761| Article]
*Schuyler Jr. Ed. "Holyfield sends heavy message" (1988, July 18) ''Ocala Star-Banner'' p. 1D. [http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1sFPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6AYEAAAAIBAJ&dq=evander%20holyfield%20james%20tillis&pg=5131%2C1278062| Article]

Evander Holyfield vs. James Tillis - Revision history

Boxsoup at 18:55, 15 January 2015

Sweetscientist: moved Fight:2903 to Evander Holyfield vs. James Tillis

Sweetscientist: Created page with "right 2903 *'''Aired On:''' Showtime Championship Boxing Evander Holyfield took the first step on a campaign he h..."