"Some of these young boys that's in the game, I wish they would have had it like me when I was coming up. They would know all of this stuff. I have been through all of the hard knocks and I learned a lot of stuff...It ain't like it used to be, for sure. Don King and Bob Arum used to keep it going with me, Witherspoon, Coetzee and Ali. Those days are gone; it ain't like that anymore. The guys over in Germany got the guys now. They are the only ones that got the titles, but it wasn't like that when I was fighting. Don King done fell off a little bit, but King is a hell of a promoter; the only one you could get money from," stated former heavyweight contender James "Quick" Tillis as he discussed the current state of the heavyweight division. Check it out!
PC: How has everything been going man?
JT: I feel like a million dollars baby. I'm getting my films I've been working on together. I'm working on a lot of stuff.
PC: A lot of people don't know, but you had a role in the film "The Color Purple" as Oprah Winfrey's boyfriend. How did you land that role?
JT: My lawyer turned me on to that. At the time, my lawyer was Oprah Winfrey's lawyer and he went out to Chicago and turned me on to that. I was in LA getting ready to fight and he asked me if I wanted to be in a movie and I said, "Yeah!" I did the part and it went good. I still remember my lines, "I don't fight my woman's battles. My job is to love her and take her where she wants to go...ain't that right baby?"
PC: Do you still follow boxing any?
JT: Yeah, I follow it. I'd show these young boys some stuff if they really wanna learn, but I don't deal with anybody that just wants to waste my time, you know? Some of these young boys that's in the game, I wish they would have had it like me when I was coming up. They would know all of this stuff. I have been through all of the hard knocks and I learned a lot of stuff, you know what I mean?
PC: What happened to the days of the great American heavyweight my man?
JT: It ain't like it used to be, for sure. Don King and Bob Arum used to keep it going with me, Witherspoon, Coetzee and Ali. Those days are gone; it ain't like that anymore. The guys over in Germany got the guys now. They are the only ones that got the titles, but it wasn't like that when I was fighting. Don King done fell off a little bit, but King is a hell of a promoter; the only one you could get money from. I had my shot at all of that.
PC: You are the first man to go the distance with Mike Tyson. Do you remember what it was like to prepare for someone everyone feared?
JT: I kicked his ass. After the fight, I found out what was keeping me tired. I used to drink a lot of grape juice and lemonade and that acid was cutting my wind for a long time. I had bad allergies. I was kicking his ass. The baddest nigga I fought was Earnie Shavers. You remember Earnie Shavers?
PC: Oh yeah!
JT: That nigga there was the baddest motherfucker I've ever fought. All of them other boys weren't shit.
PC: A lot of fighters have said he is the hardest puncher in boxing history. Do you agree with that?
JT: That nigga can make July into June and made me jump over the motherfuckin' moon! That nigga hit so hard, he'll bring back tomorrow. Muhammad Ali told me he hit him so hard, he shook his kin folk in Africa. He hit me so hard, I thought I was on the corner smoking a cigarette and eating a spam sandwich. That's how hard that nigga hit.
PC: Now that the smaller guys have taken over, what do you think of guys like Mayweather and Pacquiao?
JT: I like Mayweather and Pacquiao. Those are some tough boys. They are replacing the heavyweights because they don't have any good big guys being born right now. They'll be back. They will be some more Don Kings and Bob Arums in a little bit to take over these young boys.
PC: What else you got going on?
JT: I'm working on my film and my documentary. I'm working on a lot of stuff right now, man. I got a foundation I'm working on, trying to get somebody to put some money into it. I got a lot of stuff going.
PC: Do you miss the fight game?
JT: At first I did, but I done paid my dues. I want my body to be active, you know what I mean? You can only fight for so long. Ali fought too long. Muhammad Ali
see you gotta believe in Jesus Christ
you know the story.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]