Elijah Tillery

Infobox Boxer


name=Elijah Tillery
realname=Carlton Elijah Tillery
nickname=Phoenix Steel
weight=Heavyweight
nationality=American
birth_date=1957-08-08
birth_place=Staten Island, NY, U.S.
death_date|=
death_place|=
home=Schenectady, NY
style=Orthodox
total=30
wins=23
losses=7
draws=2
no contests=0
KO=15|

Carlton Elijah Tillery (born 1957-08-08 in Staten Island, NY) is a former American boxer in the heavyweight division, nicknamed "Phoenix Steel".

Amateur career

Tillery had an amateur record of 45-2.

Pro career

Tillery turned professional in 1980 and was a hard punching journeyman heavyweight during his career. He is best know for his two fights against Riddick Bowe in 1991. His first fight with Bowe is known for its bizarre conclusion. Bowe dominated the first round and dropped Tillery. After the round ended, Tillery walked toward Bowe and taunted him, and Bowe responded by punching Tillery. Tillery then landed several kicks on Bowe, and Bowe then unleashed a flurry of punches on Tillery as Tillery lay on the ropes. Bowe's trainer, Rock Newman, then grabbed Tillery and pulled him over the ropes as Bowe continued to throw punches. Tillery somersaulted over the ropes and was quickly detained by security. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE6D91F3FF933A05753C1A967958260 BOXING; Bowe Gets the Boot, but Wins - New York Times ] ] After order was restored and the fighters returned to the ring, Tillery and Bowe continued a war of words, and there continued to be minor incidents as the ring was cleared. Tillery was disqualified for the fracas with Bowe getting the win, much to the surprise of the television annoucers. The fighters rematched two months later, with Bowe dominating and TKO'ing Tillery, his first TKO loss. Tillery's next fight was his last, a TKO loss to James Smith two years after his loss to Bowe.

Troubles Outside the Ring

Tillery was sentenced to nine years in prison in March 2008 for hiding a sawed-off shotgun in a toy alligator in the back of his pickup truck. Before sentencing, Tillery read a 12-page statement about his life and cursed his attorney and the prosecutor. [ [http://timesunion.com/ASPStories/Story.asp?storyID=673926&newsdate=4/12/2008&BCCode=MBTA Ex-boxer gets 9 years on weapons charge - Page 1 - Times Union - Albany NY ] ]

External links

*
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20jk-0iWna4 YouTube Video of Bowe-Tillery I]

References