World Boxing News remembers former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison on the tenth anniversary of his untimely death.
Tommy David Morrison was born on January 2, 1969, in Gravette, Arkansas, USA. He was an impressionable boy who fell in love with boxing at the tender age of seven.
Tommy fought over two hundred times during his amateur career and only lost twenty. Eventually, his career in the vest culminated in winning the Kansas Golden Gloves heavyweight title in 1988.
After making the national finals, Morrison eventually lost via a split decision.
Tommy took part in the Olympic trials in the same year. He lost out to Ray Mercer, who eventually won the gold medal.
Due to his Seoul ’88 disappointment, he turned over and labeled himself ‘The Duke’ in homage to John Wayne. The famous actor is a relation of Tommy’s.
Making his debut in November 1988, Morrison knocked out Will Muhammad in the first round.
His next ten opponents would all get the same treatment as Muhammad – nine in the first two rounds. Tommy tore through the early part of his career with ease. Astonishingly, compared to today, he averaged a fight every three weeks.
Tommy had two decision victories in the middle part of 1989 before returning to two-round demolitions in his next six fights. This improved his record to 19-0 with seventeen knockouts.
It all happened within a year of turning professional.
Tommy Morrison lands role in Rocky V
In one of those knockout performances, Morrison caught the eye of acting legend Sylvester Stallone, who was casting for his latest installment of the Rocky franchise.
Tommy was eventually offered a part in ‘Rocky V’ and took six months off for filming after two points victories in the latter part of 1989.
Portraying Tommy Gunn with no acting experience, Morrison earned widespread recognition for the role and became an instant celebrity.
Despite the film not hitting the heights of previous Rocky movies, it still made him one of the most famous boxers on the planet.
Resuming his boxing career in June 1990, he took apart Charles Woolard in two rounds. Tommy followed that up with three more knockout victories. This run led to a match-up with former world champion Pinklon Thomas, which took place in February 1991.
Tommy was 25-0, and his devastating knockout record caught everyone’s attention.
Pinklon Thomas was on the back of going eight rounds with Riddick Bowe. At 33, he certainly wasn’t yet over the hill. But Morrison had too much for the aging Thomas and battered him for the first three minutes.
Eventually, the onslaught led to Thomas’ corner, pulling him out after just one round.
WBO heavyweight title
By now, Morrison was moving into world title contention. After two more knockout wins, the WBO title was within sight.
Ironically, The current champion was his former amateur opponent Ray Mercer, who was in the opposite corner as the pair traded blows in Atlantic City in late 1991.
Mercer was also unbeaten at the time and a very dangerous opponent. He would score a brutal fifth-round stoppage of Morrison, who was beaten for the first time in his career.
After four months out of the ring, Tommy returned to blitz his next four opponents before taking on southpaw Joe Hipp at Bally’s Casino in Reno, Nevada, in June 1992.
Morrison had the elder Hipp down in the fifth and again later on the way to a ninth-round TKO. On the downside, Morrison broke his jaw and hand, while Hipp suffered a fractured cheekbone in the fight.
Tommy powered through his next three opponents to earn another crack at the WBO title. His opponent would be former undisputed world champ ‘Big’ George Foreman this time.
In one of his best performances, Tommy dominated the 44-year-old Foreman to claim a unanimous points win and his first World title at 24.
He defended successfully against Tim Tomashek in Kansas City before taking on little-known Michael Bentt in Oklahoma, who was fighting in only his eleventh fight.
After a superb start to the first round, it looked like Morrison would take Bentt out early. But while attempting to finish off the London-born New Yorker, Tommy walked onto a shot and never fully recovered.
Losses
He was subsequently knocked down three times in the round and lost his crown in a shock result. Taking another four months out, Morrison returned with three wins in three months.
Then, in July 1994, he took on Ross Puritty. Morrison was knocked down another two times on his way to drawing with Puritty, a man who had lost eight times before.
He returned to winning ways with three knockouts before another eye-catching win, this time versus Donovan ‘Razor’ Ruddock. It earned him a WBC title eliminator against the formidable Lennox Lewis.
Lewis kept Morrison at bay throughout the fight with his pawing jab. Tommy couldn’t get close enough to throw his big shots. After a bad fifth round, Tommy was knocked down twice in the sixth, leading to referee Mills Lane calling the fight off.
In 1996, Morrison was scheduled to box Arthur Weathers. However, a few days before the fight, Tommy reportedly tested positive for HIV on a mandatory test. The bout was called off, and an announcement was made that Morrison had failed the physical.
A second test also came back positive, according to the Nevada Commission. This led to the boxing commission suspending Tommy indefinitely.
AIDS controversy
He knew his career was probably lost forever. Therefore, the ever-giving Morrison pursued one more fight to give the proceeds to an AIDS-related charity. He won the non-sanctioned fight against Marcus Rhode by first-round knockout in Tokyo, Japan.
After ten years away from the ring and some personal problems, Tommy announced in 2006 that he had taken several HIV tests since he was diagnosed ten years earlier. He confirmed they had all come back negative.
In early 2007, an Arizona State Boxing Commissioner watched as the former fighter took a blood test and received the results personally – which also came back negative.
Tommy was convinced that something was amiss with the first tests in 1996 and that he may never have been HIV positive in the first place.
In his postmortem pathology report, Tommy’s wife Trish told WBN it was scientifically confirmed that no trace of the HIV virus was found. Previous testing for AIDS diseases all came back negative.
Comeback
In February 2007, Tommy scheduled his first fight in 11 years. He did this even though a doctor had not cleared him to fight. The West Virginia Athletic Commission granted a license because they don’t require blood testing to clear a boxer.
After much deliberation, the WVAC asked for a test to take place and were happy with the results. Tommy duly knocked out John Castle in the second round at the Mountaineer Casino Race Track to restart his career with a bang.
In February 2008, Tommy beat Matt Weishaar via a third-round TKO in Guanajuato, Mexico. It proved to be his last fight.
Tommy has re-applied for his license several times afterward. In August 2010, he was granted a license by the Washington State Boxing Commission. However, he would never return to the ring.
During his time in the ring, Tommy Morrison was one of the most vicious punchers of his time. He will always be remembered for having one of the biggest hearts in the sport.
The tragic ending to his life will never overshadow what he did inside the ropes.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer.
