James Tillis (born July 5, 1957) is a retired professional boxer. Known as "Quick", he was known for his fast hand speed, quite astonishing for a man of this size and build. A natural southpaw, Tillis turned around to orthodox midway his amateur career, and as his left remained the stronger hand, for that reason he had a powerful jab and left hook, together with the ability to switch stances while fighting. Tillis challenged for the WBA world heavyweight title in 1981, but was defeated by fifteen round unanimous decision to Mike Weaver. Tillis was the first man to go the distance with a prime Mike Tyson in 1986, breaking his knockout-streak, and giving him a relatively close fight, nearly a draw, with two of three judges scored the fight 6-to-4. (in the words of Hall of Fame's Gil Clancy, Tillis was "one punch" away from victory.) He holds notable wins over Ron Stander by TKO 7 in 1980, and the hard punching Earnie Shavers by ten-round decision in 1982. Tillis fought for the last time in 2001 at the age of 44.