Tommy Morrison

Tommy Morrison, also known as "The Duke," was an American professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2008. He held the WBO heavyweight title in 1993 and retired from boxing in 1996 after testing positive for HIV. Morrison had a total of 52 fights, with 48 wins (42 by KO), three losses (all by KO), one draw, and zero no-contests. He won his first 28 fights, 23 of which were won via stoppage.

His first world-title fight was against Ray Mercer for the WBO title at the age of 22 with a record of 28-0. He, however, lost the fight via fifth-round TKO, which was the first loss of his career. He then went on to win four bouts in 1991, including notable victories against opponents James Tillis and Pinklon Thomas. Tommy Morrison's professional boxing career spanned more than 19 years from 1988 to 2008.

Tommy's professional debut was on November 10, 1988, where he defeated William Muhammad via 1st round TKO at the age of 19. He continued his undefeated streak, winning his next 27 fights, including wins over Tim Tomashek, Joe Hipp, Art Tucker, Carl Williams, Dan Murphy, and Marshall Tillman, and solidifying his position as a heavyweight contender.

Tommy Morrison is also known for his acting career, where he starred alongside Sylvester Stallone in the 1990 film Rocky V as Tommy Gunn, a young and talented protege of the retired Rocky Balboa.

Morrison's first remarkable performance in his career was on January 11, 1991, when he defeated James Tillis via 1st round TKO. Three bouts later, in his first world-title fight, Tommy Morrison lost to Ray Mercer via 5th round TKO. After that loss, Tommy won six bouts in 1992, including fights with Art Tucker and Joe Hipp, who later became the first Native American to challenge for the world heavyweight title.

Morrison's most notable win occurred on June 7, 1993, when he won the WBO heavyweight title from George Foreman. Morrison won the 12-round bout via a unanimous decision with two scores of 117–110 and one score of 118–109. Three months later, he successfully defended the WBO heavyweight title against Tim Tomashek, winning the fight via fourth-round RTD.

Tommy Morrison's career was not all glory. One of his most memorable defeats was against Michael Bentt on October 29, 1993. Morrison suffered his first loss in 29 fights by knockout in only 97 seconds. He went on to win his next three bouts before fighting Ross Puritty on December 17, 1994, in a fight that ended in a majority draw. Before the "High Noon in Hong Kong" card, where Morrison was slated to fight Herbie Hide for the WBO heavyweight title, the event was canceled due to financial issues.

Morrison's last professional fight was against Matt Weishaar on February 9, 2008. He won the fight via third-round TKO at the age of 39. Morrison retired from boxing in 1996, after testing positive for HIV, which led to his license being revoked in Nevada. However, in 2007, the Nevada commission lifted the indefinite worldwide suspension, and he attempted a comeback to boxing, which was short-lived, and never materialized to anything significant beyond two fights. Morrison also dabbled briefly as a mixed martial artist before retiring again in 2011.

Further, in August 2013, Morrison's mother announced that her son was in the final stages of AIDS, and he died on September 1, 2013, at the age of 44, from sepsis, septic shock, multi-system organ failure, and cardiac arrest.

Tommy Morrison's boxing career was filled with highlights and low points, but he was undoubtedly a talented boxer with impressive achievements. He will forever be remembered for his memorable performance in the film Rocky V as well as his accomplishments in the ring, including his world heavyweight title win over George Foreman.

Tommy Morrison Fight Record