Mon Jun 27, 2005 7:04 am
The NBA journeyman and former Illinois star stopped Trevor Biley in the first round Saturday night in Chicago. Gill, a 6-foot-5, 199-pound shooting guard who has played 14 NBA seasons, knocked Biley (0-2-1) to the canvass three times before the referee halted the cruiserweight fight at 1:58 of the opening round.
"My team prepared me exactly the way I'm supposed to be prepared," said Gill, who has trained for the last 18 months.
Gill, 37, plans to fight at least one more time before attempting to return for a 15th NBA season. He averaged 6.1 points in 14 games with Milwaukee last season before being waived in January. He has averaged 13.4 points a game over his career with seven teams.
Gill wore white trunks that read "Flying Illini" - a nod to the 1989 Illinois basketball team that reached the Final Four.
Mon Jun 27, 2005 7:41 am
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 5:04 am
Kendall Gill can now focus on trying to play again in the NBA this fall, with two boxing victories under his belt and a chiseled torso above it.
Gill, 37, won a unanimous decision over tough but overmatched Jason Medina in a four-round bout on Saturday's undercard to the Fernando Vargas-Javier Castillejo main event at Allstate Arena.
"This guy was a lot tougher than my first fight," a first-round knockout of Trevor Biley, Gill said, admitting that Medina "stunned me with a right hand in the first round."
But Gill rallied throughout and rocked his opponent several times with shots to the head, using both hands, including a strong final round, when he switched from southpaw to right-handed and surprised Medina with good left jabs.
"I think I made adjustments better than in my first fight," said the 198-pound cruiserweight. "Last time, when I hit the guy with hard shots, I could see him going."
Gill, who fulfilled his aim to win twice this summer, rated his second bout "a B-minus," and said, "My right jab has to be a lot better.
"I can focus on the NBA now," said the veteran who followed a standout career at the University of Illinois with 141/2 pro seasons. "I'll see who wants a hungry, very capable, very motivated, very in-shape 37-year-old. The Lakers are my first choice. I love the triangle offense. I love [coach] Phil Jackson."
However, he added, "I'm a little scared that I like boxing so much."
Also on the undercard, fellow Chicagoan and former Olympian David Diaz had little trouble taking a unanimous decision over John Trigg, who brought a 12-18-5 record into the ring. But the winner was disappointed that the scheduled six-round bout was cut back to four.
"I really turned it up in the fourth round, trying to take him out," Diaz said. "He didn't hurt me, but he took my punches well," said Diaz, who asserted that his rhythm was upset by trying to condense a six-round strategy to four.
Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:16 am
Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:21 am
Tue Aug 23, 2005 11:46 am
Drex wrote:Yup, 11 if I'm not wrong
Tue Aug 23, 2005 4:43 pm
Legend wrote:Gill seems like a nice person, used to be a great dunker when he was younger..looks like he aint too bad in the ring either
Tue Aug 23, 2005 5:00 pm
Tue Aug 23, 2005 11:22 pm
Wed Aug 24, 2005 12:57 am