Ron Tillman to be honored with Officials Award. For the majority of his life, Elyria native Ron Tillman has never avoided “A Good Fight.” “I used to get into fights in school so I got into boxing,” Tillman said. He channeled his energy into boxing starting at ten years old on the South Side of Elyria, and he went on to amass an incredible record of 235 wins and 15 losses as an amateur boxer. He added several professional encounters to his ring career before taking off the gloves.
With the gloves off, Tillman continued serving the sport he loved as a referee on the amateur and professional levels before retiring in 1999. Tillman was born in Elyria in 1948, and he graduated from Midview High School. Following graduation, he worked at the B.F. Goodrich Plant in Avon Lake. Boxing has dominated Tillman’s life, and he describes how he got started in the sport.
“Early on in my career, as a 10-year old, there wasn’t much competition in my age group, but it gave me something to do. Several of us got together, and we didn’t have a club gym to train in, so we’d workout in a neighborhood garage. I made my ring debut as an 11 year old, 118 pounder,” Tillman said. Tillman said that his training paid off when he came under the tutelage of legendary trainer Joe Gentile. Under Gentile’s watchful eye Tillman’s reputation took off in 1974, with the 147-156 pound class fighter, winning consecutive Northern Ohio Amateur Athletic Union and Northern Ohio Golden Gloves titles, advancing him to consecutive AAU and Golden Gloves appearances. To earn his first trip to the AAU Nationals in Denver, Tillman defeated Chuck Morgan for the Northern Ohio 156-pound title. He was a member of the Ohio delegation which won the National AAU Team Award, losing in the semifinals to national champion, Ray Phillips of Ft. Worth, Texas.
Tillman’s second trip to the Golden Gloves Nationals in Knoxville, Tennessee came with a semi-final victory over Youngstown’s Jimmy Villers, followed by a Northern Ohio Golden Gloves title win over Rick Noggle. He won the National AAU title with a win against defending Northern Ohio AAU champion, Chuck Morgan.
Tillman had an incredible boxing career, and he continued in the sport that he loved as an official. During his refereeing career, Tillman was in the ring as the third man for the IBF middle weight champion Lindell Homes in 1975, and later bouts involving Michael Dokes, Greg Page, and Mitch Green, as well as Roberto Duran during a 1992 fight in Cleveland when the 41 year-old Duran improved his record to 89-9 (60 KOs) with a second round TKO over Ken Hulser.
His amateur refereeing career included appearances in the Golden Gloves in Chicago, Milwaukee, Little Rock, Denver, Knoxville and St. Louis. Tillman is receiving the Official of the Year Award along with Earl Jewell.