Celebration of life planned for Glen Cove boxing legend Hubert Hilton

Hubert E. Hilton was often described as the kindest, gentlest man outside the boxing ring, but inside it he was driven and vicious. And his tenacity paid off. A professional boxer in the 1960s, Hilton was ranked the No. 7 heavyweight in the world in 1965 by Ring magazine.

The man known as “Doc” in the boxing world died on Oct. 27, 2022 succumbing to cancer. He was 83. Although he had moved to Farmingdale roughly 50 years ago, he continues to be a legend in Glen Cove, where he lived most of his life. After he died, his family realized that the city’s residents did not know of his passing. This week that will be rectified.

There will be a celebration of the former Glen Cove resident’s life at Morgan Park on Saturday at 10 a.m. His daughter, Janine Hilton Jones, said people who knew her father will be permitted to share their memories, of which there will be many.

“I feel this will be closure for a lot of people, especially for us,” Hilton Jones said. “I always brought him back to Glen Cove because it was “it” for him. It was his home.”

Hilton was born on Aug. 18, 1939 in Georgia. When both of his parents died, he moved to New Jersey to live with people who cared for him. Then as a young boy he moved to live with his aunt and uncle, Ethel and George Hilton, who lived on Shore Road in Glen Cove.

Sandra Tillman, of Glen Cove, met Hilton when she was 11 and they began dating, marrying when she was 18 and Hilton, 21.

Sandra said Hilton was always athletic, able to outrun anyone and excelled at sports. He began training as a boxer when he was 17 at the Lincoln House, now the location of the city’s Boys & Girls Club. Hilton would train every day after school and when he turned 18, began competing at Sunnyside Gardens in Queens.

At 6 feet 2 inches, “Doc” was 190 pounds of solid muscle. He fought in London, South America and Brazil, where he was poisoned. Sandra said someone put poison in the water used to wipe Hilton’s face and eyes.

After the sweat was removed from his eyes, Hilton couldn’t see.

“His vision was blurry, but he fought anyway,” Janine said. “They were betting he’d lose, and he lost the fight.”

Frank Pena, president of the Glen Cove Boxing Club, said although Hilton stopped boxing in the ring in 1973, he never retired. He took thousands of punches sparring with Howard Davis Jr. preparing him to compete in the 1976 Olympics, which he won.

“They say Howard Davis opened the door for Glen Cove, but it was Hubert,” Pena said. “To be number seven in the world, that’s big.”

Charlie Dione was Hilton’s sparring partner from 1966 until the 1970’s. He admired him for more than his talent as a boxer. “Hubert wouldn’t overpower you when he sparred with you,” Dione said. “He fought at your level. That’s the kind of guy he was.”

Hilton never drank or smoked, Dione said. His body was chiseled. When he wasn’t in the ring he ran to keep in shape.

“Hubert ran like a deer,” Dione said. “He’d run 12 to 15 miles per hour when he ran, and he ran up hills.”

People may not have seen him run up hills, but they did see him run behind the garbage truck each day while working as a sanitation engineer for the city.

“He’d talk to you when he was working and he had the biggest smile,” Tony Gallego, of Glen Cove, said. “He was the most friendly man and had the biggest hands, like baseball mitts. Everyone in town knew Hubert. He was our local hero.”

Hilton loved kids and coached football and softball to 8 year olds. Janine said her father would carry kids on his back.

“I have a picture of him waving to kids when he was working,” she said. “He was a great dad. He was always there and always so encouraging. I miss the fun times and the laughs. We used to laugh all the time.”

Hubert Hilton is survived by his life partner of 51 years Karen Dunphy; children Daniel, Hubert, Deborah, Carlos, Annette, Barrett, Janine, Schanda and the late, Erik; grandchildren and great-great grandchildren; his siblings James, Louella, Carrie, Edward, and Helen and siblings Sarah, Willie Jo and Jerome who predeceased him. In lieu of flowers, make donations in Hilton’s memory to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society; LLS.org.