Many who may read this may wonder why I am writing about Tommy Morrison, the former WBO heavyweight champion who left this world seven months ago. I have my reasons for not writing a tribute to Tommy around the time of his death, but now at this time, I feel the need to take the time out and not only pay homage to the fighter known as Tommy “The Duke” Morrison, but, to the man I came to know as Tommy. At this juncture in my life, I am not one to look upon mortal men and call many, if any, a hero.
In my years, I have learned the word hero has become over used to the point of cliche, especially when it comes to overpaid athletes. But, at one time, as a very impressionable teenager looking for that one person to look up to, I found myself looking up to just a few people, and one of them was Tommy Morrison.
Now, we all know, or should pretty much know the backstory of Tommy Morrison, a country boy hailing from Jay, Oklahoma. Morrisson had an aggressive boxing style, and developed a tremendous left hook. He was an interesting story, a Caucasian heavyweight not only fighting, but being a major threat in the late 80s and early 90s, whenthea heavyweight division ruled by the likes of great Black fighters like Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield.
Morrison gained cross-over fame by playing the character “Tommy Gunn” and starring alongside Sylvester Stallone in the movie Rocky V. And that movie was how I was introduced to Tommy, through the big screen. From there I came to know him as a boxer.
In 1991, Morrison destroyed James Tillis, a man who years earlier went the distance- a total of twenty rounds rounds-- with two of the heaviest hitters in the division, Mike Tyson and Ernie Shavers. Tillis defeated Shavers, but lost by decision to Tyson, which was a huge accomplishment at the time. Pinklon Thomas, who squared off with Tyson, Holyfield and Bowe, also fell in the opening round to a young Tommy Morrison.
Morrison was tallying up an impressive highlight-reel knockouts, but to close out 1991, Tommy was on the wrong end of a gruesome knockout from the heavy hands of Ray Mercer, who continued to pound away on a defenseless, down and out Morrison while the referee fell asleep on the job.
In a 2004 interview Mercer, also a former WBO champ, gave me his opinion on the brutal knockout, “I think after watching the fight on tape, the referee should have stopped the fight after the eighth or ninth punch, but remember I was only doing my job.”
Morrison bebounded from the brutal knockout, defeating boxing great George Foreman in 1993 to acquire the vacant WBO title. Morrison would later describe this fight to me as “out smarting” Foreman. Tommy earned the title with a unanimous decision.
Tommy was not only beaten, but was pretty much embarrassed later in '93, when Michael Bentt dethroned him in the first round of a homestate title defense. In an interview with Morrison in 2004, I questioned the fighter about his chin, which was questioned by many throughout his career.
Tommy explained to me, it was not his chin. He believed he had good defense, but ignored his defense and instead utilized his offense far too much, which got him in trouble at times.
I remember being in Odessa, Texas at a friend’s house in 1995, when Morrison was facing off against another all-time great heavyweight, Lennox Lewis. Out of the gang of friends piled up by the television, I was the only one rooting for Tommy. One friend screamed, “this ain’t no damn movie!” And he was correct: Lewis would take Tommy out in six rounds.
Just months later the news that Tommy tested positive for the HIV virus shocked the boxing community, but even that did not stop Tommy. He got a fight against Marcus Rhode in Japan, which he won in the first round.
Morrison would not see action in the ring for the next eleven years. Marcus later told me in an interview that he had no fear of contracting the disease, while in the ring with Morrison.
It was during this long stretch of inactivity that I came to know Tommy Morrison. In 2004, my fellow writer Sean Newman hooked me up with Tommy, and for the next six to seven years, Tommy and I remained friends.
I began writing in 2004, so I actually owe Tommy a bit of gratitude. I started off contributing to Tommy’s old site, KO AIDS Foundation, and the webmaster, CL Jones, let me do post-fight articles, and interviews for the site, before I headed over to Doghouse Boxing.
So, needless to say, Tommy opened the door for me to this world of covering boxing.
When I first met Tommy, I was in awe, but, the bad thing about meeting your heroes is that you come to painfully find out, they are human just like the rest of us.
Speaking with Tommy over the phone, whether in just a conversation, or an interview, he would tell me, as he told many others, that his HIV test results were false positives. At the time I did not know what to believe. But my opinion doesn’t really matter. Out of respect for the man, and his family left behind, I will keep my thoughts to myself.
Tommy came back in 2007 and fought a few times, but was not the same Tommy "The Duke" Morrison that once graced in prior decades. He was a shell of a man he once was. To me, that was the sad part of Tommy, him desperately trying to hold on to what he once was and have some of the glory he had in his younger days.
In 2008 I got to meet up with Tommy, as we and many others were guests for a charity event in California. In person, Tommy, was extremely funny, talked a bunch, and had these savvy words and sayings. He got a little tipsy and popped John Bray and I in the head as a joke. I mostly remember the drive home that night, when he and a former girlfriend gave me a ride back to the hotel that night. Tommy was a floor above me so I got off the elevator first. He embraced me in a hug, and was so thankful for me standing by his side in the media when most wanted to crucify him.
That was the last I saw of him in person, we spoke many times after that, I came to know that Tommy was a heck of a fighter, but, as man, he was seemingly fighting his very own personal demons. Tommy had a lot of odd ways about him, very different opinions than I, but, we respected one another.
2011 would be the final year that Tommy and I would be in touch, he contacted me to do an interview with Boxingtalk.com, he wanted to refute rumors that someone told law enforcement authorities that Morrison was photographed buying crystal meth. The strange thing was that the "rumors" were not even widely known when Morrison called to refute them. There was never any evidence of Morrison purchasing illegal drugs at the time, nor was Team Boxingtalk even aware of any such rumors about it. That still baffles me to this day.
I believe that was about the last time I spoke with Tommy. I did continue receiving e-mails from him and others around him, disputing that he had the HIV virus. Those e-mails eventually came to a halt, and fans were left only with a post or two from Tommy’s girlfriend letting all know how he was doing.
Tommy, who fought like hell in the ring against his opposition, did the same out of the ring with it came to people disputing the he carried the HIV/AIDS virus. It all came to a sad end this past September, when Tommy passed away, but it was not AIDS he gave into, as the cause of death was listed as cardiac arrest. Toommy died as a consequence of multiple organ failure, septic shock, and pseudomonas aeruginosa septicemia... words too damn big for my vocabulary.
Looking back Tommy was a hell of a fighter, nothing great, but somebody exciting to watch. He entertained the masses, was tough as nails, and had heart. It is a shame how he had to leave this world. And I often wonder, what will be his legacy in the years to come? Will he be remembered for his acheivments in the ring or his downfall out of it?
Tommy taught me a few things. One, always keep your hands up, two, always be yourself, and three, it is not always a smart thing to personally come to know your heroes. I thank him for teaching me that.
R.I.P. Champ.
S
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