Carlton Elijah Tillery (born August 8, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who competed in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. He was nicknamed "Phoenix Steel".
Tillery turned professional in 1980 and was known as a hard-punching journeyman in the heavyweight division. He is best known for his two fights against Riddick Bowe in 1991. His first bout 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 responded by kicking Bowe, after which Bowe unleashed a flurry of punches while Tillery was against the ropes. Bowe's trainer, Rock Newman, then pulled Tillery over the ropes as Bowe continued to throw punches. Tillery somersaulted over the ropes and was quickly detained by security.[1] After the 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 kicks with Bowe getting the win, much to the surprise of the television announcers.
The fighters rematched two months later, with Bowe dominating and TKO'ing Tillery, his first TKO loss.
Tillery's final professional bout was a TKO loss to James Smith two years after his rematch with Bowe.
