Evander Holyfield vs Henry Tillman 1987-02-14

Evander Holyfield 188 lbs beat Henry Tillman 189 lbs by TKO at 1:43 in round 7 of 15
Date: 1987-02-14
Location: Bally's Hotel & Casino, Goldwyn Balroom, Reno, Nevada, USA
Referee: Carlos Padilla
Judge: Harold Lederman 59-54
Judge: Jerry Roth 60-53
Judge: Lou Moret 60-53
World Boxing Association Cruiserweight Title (1st defense by Holyfield)
Evander Holyfield, a born-again Christian, came into the ring today with a reference to a biblical citation stitched to his trunks and "Jesus Loves You" on the back of his white satin robe.
When he left the arena, seven rounds later, Holyfield had smote Henry Tillman in defense of his World Boxing Association junior-heavyweight championship.
The fight was automatically stopped at 1 minute 43 seconds of the seventh round of a scheduled 15-round bout at Bally's Casino Hotel when Holyfield knocked Tillman down three times in the seventh.
Holyfield had repeatedly hurt Tillman with left hooks to the body and head and, at close quarters, with right uppercuts that snapped Tillman's head back.
The 24-year-old Holyfield, who is from Atlanta, knocked Tillman down four times altogether to remain undefeated in 14 bouts as a professional.
The bout marked the first time that American medalists from the 1984 Olympics had met each other for a world title. Holyfield was the bronze medalist in the 178-pound class, Tillman the gold medalist in the 201-pound class.
Tillman hit the canvas the first time in the second round when Holyfield nailed him with a straight right and a left hook. On one knee, the 26-year-old Tillman took the mandatory 8-count. When he arose, he moved straight to Holyfield, and engaged him in a brisk exchange. Clearly his intent was to show Holyfield he was not daunted by the champion's punching power.
But Holyfield never got the message. He kept pressuring Tillman, and punching him repeatedly. Two of the judges, Jerry Roth and Lou Moret, gave the champion every round until the knockout. The other judge, Harold Lederman, gave Tillman the first round and none of the others.
Tillman, who is from Los Angeles, had planned to be more mobile and use his boxing skills to thwart Holyfield. But the prospect of fighting 15 rounds made him alter his strategy.
"I didn't want to drain myself by continuously moving," Tillman said. "I was afraid I'd be drained by the late rounds."
After the second-round knockdown, Holyfield sensed a knockout was imminent. But, he conceded, "at times I'd lose patience."
In the seventh round, his shots were coming in, as if by radar. Holyfield hurt Tillman with the right uppercut and dropped him with a left-right combination.
Tillman fell backward and got to his feet by the count of 8.
With a left and right, Holyfield dropped Tillman again. Tillman slumped to the canvas in his corner. This time he made it to his feet by the count of 9.
Holyfield finished Tillman with two left hooks.
With his victory, Holyfield's record goes to 14-0, with 10 knockouts. Tillman is 14-2, with 10 knockouts.
Holyfield's promoter, Dan Duva, said his plans called for Holyfield to attempt to unify the junior-heavyweight division - the World Boxing Council and the International Boxing Federation - and then, if successful, move up to the heavyweight division.
"Evander packs a heavyweight's punch," Duva said.
Holyfield's fitness coordinator, Tim Hallmark, of Houston, said it could take "at least a year" for Holyfield to comfortably attain a weight of 210-215 pounds.
"Anybody can put on weight in a short time," Hallmark said. "But if you do it too quickly, the fighter loses his skills."
Holyfield weighed 188 1/2 pounds today. Tillman was 189 pounds.