Mike Tyson vs. Henry Tillman
{{short description|Boxing competition}}
{{Infobox boxing match
| Fight Name = The Road Back
| image = 230px
| caption =
| fight date = June 16, 1990
| location = Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada
| titles =
| fighter1 = Mike Tyson
| nickname1 = Iron
| hometown1 = Catskill, New York
| purse1 =
| record1 = 37–1 (33 KO)
| age1 = {{age in years and months |June 30, 1966 |June 16, 1990}}
| height1 = 5 ft 10 in
| weight1 = 217 lb
| style1 = Orthodox
| recognition1 = WBA/WBC/IBF
No. 2 Ranked Heavyweight
Former undisputed heavyweight champion
| fighter2 = Henry Tillman
| nickname2 =
| hometown2 = Los Angeles, California
| purse2 =
| record2 = 20–4 (14 KO)
| age2 = {{age in years and months |August 1, 1960 |June 16, 1990}}
| height2 = 6 ft 3+1/2 in
| weight2 = 215 lb
| style2 = Orthodox
| recognition2 = WBC
No. 9 Ranked Heavyweight
| result = Tyson wins via 1st-round KO
}}
Mike Tyson vs. Henry Tillman, billed as The Road Back, was a professional boxing match contested on June 16, 1990.{{cite web |title=Mike Tyson vs. Henry Tillman |url=https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Mike_Tyson_vs._Henry_Tillman |website=boxrec.com |publisher=BoxRec |access-date=19 July 2024}}
Background
In his previous fight, Mike Tyson had lost his undisputed heavyweight title after being knocked out in the tenth round by 42–1 underdog James "Buster" Douglas in one of the biggest upsets in sports history. After a failed protest, Tyson's promoter Don King attempted to quickly gain a rematch with Douglas, but Douglas turned down King's offer and instead chose to face the number one contender Evander Holyfield.[https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/19/sports/douglas-shuns-tyson-for-holyfield.html Douglas Shuns Tyson For Holyfield], N.Y. Times article, 1990-02-19, Retrieved on 2013-08-10 Left with little choice, Tyson was forced down the comeback trail. Former welterweight and middleweight champion Thomas Hearns[https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/22/sports/sports-people-boxing-hearns-vs-tyson.html Hearns vs. Tyson?], N.Y. Times article, 1990-02-22, Retrieved on 2013-08-10 and former heavyweight contender Renaldo Snipes[https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/24/sports/sports-people-boxing-tyson-fight-in-doubt.html Tyson Fight in Doubt], N.Y. Times article, 1990-04-24, Retrieved on 2013-08-10 emerged as possible opponents for Tyson, but it was announced on May 1 that Tyson would face 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Henry Tillman, who had twice defeated Tyson as an amateur, effectively costing Tyson a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.[https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/01/sports/foreman-and-tyson-book-a-doubleheader.html Foreman and Tyson Book a Doubleheader], N.Y. Times article, 1990-05-01, Retrieved on 2013-08-10 In spite of his successful amateur career, Tillman's professional career was unimpressive, facing mostly unknowns and losing his only high-profile fight to Evander Holyfield by way of knockout. Tillman entered the fight as a 25–1 underdog and was given virtually no chance of defeating Tyson. The Tyson–Tillman fight was the second fight of a doubleheader event that also featured George Foreman taking on Adilson Rodrigues.
The fight
Tyson charged at Tillman once the opening bell sounded, causing Tillman to quickly retreat. Tillman offered very little offense during the fight, instead spending the first minute of the fight circling the ring in an effort to avoid Tyson's powerful punches. Tyson eventually caught up to Tillman and began throwing powerful combinations at Tillman, causing Tillman to clinch several times whenever Tyson would mount a substantial amount of offense. With around 25 seconds left in the round, Tyson trapped Tillman in the corner. Tillman attempted to throw a jab, but Tyson countered with a strong right hand that dropped Tillman to the mat. Tillman remained on his back as the referee counted him out and Tyson was named the winner by way of knockout at 2:47 of the first round.[https://web.archive.org/web/20140405063030/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1136711/index.htm Punch and Duty], Sports Illustrated article, 1990-06-25, Retrieved on 2013-08-10
Undercard
Broadcasting
| class="wikitable" | |
| align=center | Country
! align=center | Broadcaster | |
|---|---|
| {{flag|United States}} | HBO |
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-bef | before=vs. Buster Douglas}}
{{s-ttl | title=Mike Tyson's bouts |years= 16 June 1990}}
{{s-aft | after=vs. Alex Stewart}}
{{s-bef | before=vs. Tim Morrison}}
{{s-ttl | title=Henry Tillman's bouts |years=16 June 1990}}
{{s-aft | after=vs. Danny Blake}}
{{s-end}}
{{Mike Tyson}}
{{George Foreman}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyson, Tillman}}
Category:1990 in sports in Nevada
Category:June 1990 sports events in the United States
Category:Boxing matches at Caesars Palace