Bert Cooper vs Henry Tillman - a forgotten war

I have to admit I had forgotten all about Tillman, the 1984 Olympic heavyweight champion and the man who beat Mike Tyson at the US Olympic trials. There were initially high hopes for him when he turned pro but he had a pretty disappointing pro career, been totally eliplised by his former Olympic light heavyweight team mate, Evander Holyfield and Tyson himself, both of whom knocked him out in pro bouts. What ever become of Tillman?

Anyway nice find, B.U.

 

This was a huge upset. Tillman was hyped after the Olympics, as were all the Gold medalists. Then, he kod perrenial contender Bash Ali in the 1st round. He looked awesome dispatching the usually durable Ali. Cooper had been stopped in the 10th round by Reggie Gross only a few months earlier when he gassed out. This was Cooper's coming out party fight. Tillman was good it's just that Cooper was much better than previously thought.

 

Holyfield gave him a bad beating and ruined him. He was shot by the time he fought Tyson.

 

The Smoke is no joke! Bert's war with Ray Mercer is even better.

 

Damn, but Cooper could bang! Huge power, like a 90s Earnie Shavers.

 

Even years past his best and struggling with drug abuse, he upset the apple cart a few times later on in his career. He always had that big power, and knew how to land it.

 

I was ringside for Mercer-Moorer. It was an incredible fight. (In spite of the fact that I was sitting next to Weird Al Yankovic)

 

That would have made the fight even more epic, surely?

 

It was just an odd thing to have Weird Al be a fight fan. Having gone to undergrad near Philly, I had been a big Bert Cooper fan for years. My buddy and I were going crazy when Bert almost stopped Moorer in the first round. After the fight ended, some John Gotti looking dude in a black suit and sunglasses grabbed my shoulder and said "you were robbed." Quite frankly, nobody who watched that fight live was robbed. It was a hell of a battle while it lasted.

 

You'll enjoy this. Bert fights a bare knuckle fighter. He doesn't struggle.

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Plus the ring card girls wear the skimpiest bikinis I ever saw at a fight.

Someone asked what happened to Tillman. He got sent to prison, didn't he?

 

Yes, Bert. That fight gets lost a bit amid the Bowe-Holy fights of around that time but it was an absolute peach. Fiar play to Moorer for coming through. Having fought like that you can understand why Teddy Atlas did his fruit when he was so lacklustre against Holyfield with the chance to win the title because there was some fire in his belly, as he proved again with Alex Stewart.

As for Bert, his fights with Holy, Mercer, this one here with Tillman - he owes boxing nothing. Great fighter to watch and whether he was a champ officially or not, deserves his status among the fans.

Someone posted a brilliant article here recently on him and that donut manager of his who got killed - Rick Parker, I think. Worth looking up.

 

Shame the fight didn't go a round or two more ..... I wouldn't have minded seeing a bit more of the ring card girl.

Anyway the fight just shows the difference between top pro fighters and bare knuckle/street fighters in a proper boxing match.