Tag Archives: Adrian Tillman

boxing, Olympics, USA Boxing

USA BOXING HEAVYWEIGHT ADRIAN TILLMAN IN U.S. ARMY

Leave a comment

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (September 3, 2019) – No. 2 rated American heavyweight Adrian Tillman, who is also ranked No. 5 as a light heavyweight, is not only representing his country as a member of USA Boxing’s 2019 Men’s Elite team, he’s also serving in the U.S. Army at the same time.

Tillman, 24, is able to do both, because he’s an active soldier enrolled in the World Class Athlete Program (WCAP), in which qualified athletes have an opportunity to train fulltime for the Olympics.

“As of right now,” Tillman said, “my focus is on the Olympics.  I love the military and I love boxing.  So, I’ll just see where life takes me.  But, as of now, 2020 Tokyo, Japan, is the one thing on my mind.

“Training (in Colorado Springs) with the Elite team has definitely elevated my game all around. The coaches and trainers are always teaching me.  It’s a non-stop learning environment with the team.”

Born in Riverside, California, Tillman started boxing in 2008, because he wanted to lose weight and learn how to defend himself and his siblings as he was about to enter high school.

The heavyweight with a stiff jab is a three-time National PAL champion (2018, 2017 and 2015), in addition to capturing a gold medal at the 2017 Eastern Elite Qualifier.  His greatest accomplishment, however, may be a little surprising, because it isn’t about winning medals, trophies and belts. 

“My greatest accomplishment was being able to qualifying two weight classes (lightweight and heavyweight) for the Olympic Trials.”

Tillman has traveled throughout South America and Europe. He is with his Team USA teammates training in England before going straight to Yekaterinburg, Russia, to compete in the 2019 Elite Men’s World Championships, September 7-21.

“Gaining a medal at the World Championships is important to me because,” he noted, “not only am I representing my country, I’m also representing the Army and my family.”

When he’s in the ring, Tillman adjusts to his opponent, brawling or boxing equally, whatever it takes to win.

Adrian Tillman is a true patriot who also happens to wear boxing gloves. Whether he qualifies as a heavyweight or light heavyweight, all that matters to him is boxing for Team USA at the 2020 Olympics.

INFORMATION:

www.usaboxing.org

Twitter: @USABoxing

Instagram: @USABoxing

Facebook: /USABoxing

ABOUT USA BOXING:  To promote and grow Olympic-style amateur boxing in the United States and to inspire the tireless pursuit of Olympic gold and enable athletes and coaches to achieve sustained competitive excellence. Additionally, USA Boxing endeavors to teach all participants the character, confidence and focus they need to become resilient and diverse champions, both in and out of the ring. USA Boxing is one team, one nation, going for gold!

amateur boxing, boxing

Is USA Boxing Nationals Champion Jared Anderson America’s next great heavyweight?

Leave a comment
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (December 21, 2017) – Christmas came early for Jared Anderson, who not only won the heavyweight title at the recent USA Boxing National Championships, the 18-year-old also captured the Most Outstanding Boxer Award in the Elite Division.
Seeded No. 7 in an eight-boxer field at The Nationals, Anderson, in order, defeated No. 2 Jesus Flores in the opening round, 5-0, edged No. 3 Adrian Tillman in the semifinals, 3-2, and upset five-time national champion Cam F. Awesome, 5-0, in the championship final.
In USA Boxing’s most recently listed heavyweight ratings (Nov. 17, 2017), Tillman and Awesome are ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, Flores is No. 5, and Anderson is unranked.
“I think that’s going to change,” Anderson noted. “Winning the heavyweight title and Most Outstanding Boxing Award meant the world to me. Maybe some people had never heard of me, but I’ve been boxing since I was eight, and I’ve faced a lot of different styles.
“I had a vendetta going with Tillman and, instead of boxing, I tried to take his head off. Simple work allowed me to beat Awesome. He is a good fighter. Cam does what he wants in the ring — throws jabs, sits there and builds up points – and intimidates some opponents. I took the fight to him. Not wild, though, because he’d have been there in the ring, calm and smiling, and I would have lost. I used my jab more than anything against him.”
One of 11 siblings in two households, Anderson is another USA Boxing success story. Growing up in Toledo, Ohio, Anderson was constantly getting into trouble in school and boxing eventually saved him. His mother convinced her son to meet a local boxing coach, who introduced Jared to boxing, drilling discipline into him, something Jared desperately needed at that point in his young life.
Boxing in Toledo has also aided his overall development in boxing. “We push each other,” Anderson explained. “We support each other and perfect our crafts. There’s a lot of support here at all the gyms in Toledo.”
Anderson represented Team USA at this past August’s 2017 Bradenburg Cup in Frankfurt, Germany, at which Anderson won the heavyweight title, as well as the Most Outstanding Boxer Award, which should have been a warning for other leading U.S. heavyweights.
As a young boxer, Anderson admired three legends who were all products of USA Boxing, U.S. Olympians and Olympic medal winners: 1. Sugar Ray Leonard – “Fast hands, speed, a phenomenal boxer.” 2. Evander Holyfield – “A warrior who could bang or box. Moved up successfully from cruiserweight to heavyweight.” 3.Muhammad Ali — “Not just because he was a great boxer, but more so because of his life.”
Right now, Anderson stand 6′ 2 and weighs 200 lbs., but he’s only 18 and should continue growing even larger. Ultimately, he wants to be heavyweight champion of the world, but Jared does have a plan.
“I want to stay as active as possible next year, competing in tournaments, and turn pro but not until after the (2020) Olympics,” Anderson concluded. “I’m not turning pro until after the (2020) Olympics. I want to win a gold medal, turn pro and win the world heavyweight title, so I can move my mother out of the ‘hood.”
Remember the name, boxing fans, Jared Anderson has the potential to be America’s next great heavyweight.
INFORMATION:
Twitter: @USABoxing
Instagram: @USABoxing
Facebook: /USABoxing
ABOUT USA BOXING: The mission of USA Boxing shall be to enable United States’ athletes and coaches to achieve sustained competitive excellence, develop character, support the sport of boxing, and promote and grow Olympic style boxing in the United States. The responsibility of USA Boxing is not only to produce Olympic gold, but also oversee and govern every aspect of amateur boxing in the United States.
M