Tommy Morrison facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tommy Morrison
Tommy Morrison on June 6, 1990
Statistics
Nickname(s)	The Duke
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 2 in
Reach	76 in
Born	(1969-01-02)January 2, 1969 Gravette, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	September 1, 2013(2013-09-01) (aged 44) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	52
Wins	48
Wins by KO	42
Losses	3
Draws	1

Tommy "The Duke" Morrison (January 2, 1969 – September 1, 2013) was an American professional boxer. He competed from 1988 to 2008. In 1993, he held the WBO heavyweight title. He stopped boxing in 1996 due to health reasons.

Morrison was also known for his acting. He starred with Sylvester Stallone in the 1990 movie Rocky V. In the film, he played a character named Tommy Gunn.

He tried to return to boxing in 2007. The Nevada boxing commission allowed him to fight again in 2006. His comeback was short, with only two fights. He also tried mixed martial arts for a short time. Morrison retired from fighting again in 2011.

In August 2013, Morrison's mother shared that he was very ill. He passed away on September 1, 2013, at 44 years old, due to health problems.

Early Life and Amateur Boxing

Tommy Morrison was born in Gravette, Arkansas. His mother, Diana, was Native American. His father, Tim, was of Irish background. Tommy grew up in Delaware County, Oklahoma, mostly in Jay, Oklahoma.

His nickname, "The Duke," came from a story that he was a relative of the famous actor John Wayne. Tommy's father encouraged him to start boxing when he was ten. When Tommy was 13, his mother used a fake ID so he could enter "toughman" contests. These were boxing-like competitions for adults. He later said he only lost one of these 15 matches.

After high school in 1988, Morrison got a football scholarship to Emporia State University. That same year, he won a regional boxing title. He then went to the National Golden Gloves tournament. He won several fights but lost in the semifinals.

Two weeks later, Morrison competed in the Western Olympic trials in Houston, Texas. He won his fights there, which qualified him for the national trials. He even won the "Outstanding Fighter" award. At the National Olympic Trials in July 1988, Morrison lost to Ray Mercer. Mercer later won a gold medal at the Seoul Olympics.

As an amateur boxer, Tommy Morrison had a record of 202 wins and 20 losses. Most of his fights were local matches.

Professional Boxing Career

Tommy Morrison started his professional boxing journey on November 10, 1988. His first fight was in New York City, where he won by knockout in the first round. Three weeks later, he had another first-round knockout win. In 1989, Morrison won all 19 of his fights, with 15 of them by knockout.

In 1989, actor Sylvester Stallone watched one of Morrison's fights. Stallone then offered Morrison a role in the movie Rocky V. Tommy played a young boxer named Tommy "The Machine" Gunn, who was trained by the retired Rocky Balboa. Morrison took a six-month break from boxing in 1990 to work on the movie. He did not fight from December 1989 to June 1990. In 1991, Morrison won four more fights. These included wins against James Tillis and former heavyweight champion Pinklon Thomas.

Morrison vs. Mercer

Morrison then had a chance to fight Ray Mercer, who was also undefeated and held the WBO title. This big fight happened on October 18, 1991. It was a match between two rising stars in heavyweight boxing.

Morrison started the fight well, winning the first three rounds. But in the fifth round, Mercer cornered Morrison and landed many punches. The referee stopped the fight, and Morrison lost by knockout. This was the first loss of his professional career.

Boxing from 1991 to 1993

After his loss to Mercer, Morrison won six fights in 1992. These included matches against Art Tucker and Joe Hipp. Joe Hipp later became the first Native American to fight for a world heavyweight title. In his fight with Hipp, Morrison had a broken hand and jaw. But he still managed to win by knockout in the ninth round.

Becoming WBO Heavyweight Champion

Morrison vs. Foreman

After two more wins in 1993, Tommy Morrison got another chance to fight for the WBO title. This time, his opponent was the boxing legend George Foreman. Many expected a big slugfest because both boxers were known for their powerful punches. However, Morrison chose to box smartly from a distance. He moved well and landed punches without getting into a brawl. Morrison won the fight by a clear decision from the judges. This made him the new WBO Heavyweight champion.

Morrison vs. Tomashek

Morrison's first title defense was supposed to be against his Rocky V co-star, Mike Williams. But Williams pulled out of the fight at the last minute. So, Tim Tomashek stepped in as a replacement. Some news reports made it seem like Tomashek was just pulled from the crowd, but he was actually prepared as a backup. Even though Tomashek had been drinking before the fight, he still managed to land some punches. Morrison won the fight when Tomashek's corner stopped the match after four rounds.

Morrison vs. Bentt

After winning the WBO title, there were talks about Morrison fighting WBC champion Lennox Lewis. This would have been a huge fight for Morrison. But first, Morrison decided to have a warm-up fight against a less-known boxer named Michael Bentt. This turned out to be a bad decision. Bentt knocked Morrison down three times in the first round. The fight was stopped quickly, and Bentt won. This loss cost Morrison his chance to fight Lennox Lewis and a lot of money.

Boxing from 1994 to 1996

Morrison bounced back by winning three fights in a row in 1994. His last fight of that year was a draw against Ross Puritty. He was then scheduled to fight Herbie Hide for the WBO heavyweight title in Hong Kong, but that event was canceled.

Morrison won three more fights in 1995. Then, he faced former top contender Razor Ruddock for a smaller heavyweight title.

Morrison vs. Ruddock

Ruddock knocked Morrison down in the first round. But Morrison got back up and fought hard. Both boxers traded powerful punches. In the sixth round, Ruddock hurt Morrison with a combination of punches. But just when it looked like Morrison was in trouble, he landed a huge hook that knocked Ruddock down. Ruddock got back up, but Morrison kept attacking him. The referee then stopped the fight, and Morrison won by TKO.

Morrison vs. Lewis

After beating Ruddock, Morrison was supposed to fight Riddick Bowe for his WBO Heavyweight title. But Bowe chose a different fight instead. Later, Morrison and Lennox Lewis finally agreed to fight in October 1995. This was the big match that many fans had wanted to see. Lewis won the fight by knockout in the sixth round. Lewis used his strong left jab to control the fight and keep Morrison on defense.

Retirement from Boxing

In February 1996, the Nevada Athletic Commission announced that Tommy Morrison had health issues. This led to him being suspended from boxing in Nevada. Morrison held a press conference on February 15, 1996. He said he would "absolutely" never fight again.

Later, in September 1996, Morrison said he wanted to fight "one last time" to raise money for his KnockOut AIDS Foundation. However, he was not allowed to fight in Oklahoma because of his suspension. He did get a chance for a final match in Japan in November 1996. Japan's boxing rules allowed him to fight. Morrison won that fight by TKO in the first round.

Comeback Attempts

In 2007, Tommy Morrison started fighting again. After passing medical checks in Texas, he was allowed to fight in West Virginia. In February 2007, he fought and beat John Castle by knockout in the second round. In February 2008, Morrison was cleared to fight Matt Weishaar in Mexico, where he won by TKO in the third round.

In January 2011, the boxing commission in Quebec, Canada, asked Morrison to take a supervised health test before a scheduled fight. Morrison invited them to watch a public test, but they did not come. Morrison said if Quebec would not let him fight, he would find another place. He retired from boxing again that same year.

Personal Life

Tommy Morrison had two children by the time he was 19. Tommy and Trisha Morrison got engaged in 2009 and were married in 2011. Tommy is the father of professional boxers Kenzie Morrison and Trey Lippe Morrison.

Health Information

In 2006, Morrison stated that his earlier health test results might have been incorrect. The Nevada commission's medical board looked at his 1996 test results and said they were clear and correct. Morrison said he tried to get a copy of the original test results but could not. The commission said he could contact the lab to get them.

Morrison took several health tests in January 2007, which showed different results. In July 2007, The New York Times reported that Morrison took two tests in 2007, and a third one for the newspaper. Doctors who work with boxing, including Nevada's chief ringside doctor, suggested that the negative results might not have been based on Morrison's actual blood.

Death

In August 2013, ESPN.com reported that Tommy Morrison's mother, Diana, said he was very ill and in his final days. She also said he had been bedridden for over a year. However, Morrison's wife, Trisha, did not believe he had the illness.

On September 1, 2013, Tommy Morrison passed away at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, at 44 years old. According to the Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services, he died from heart failure caused by organ problems due to an infection.

Professional Boxing Record

Exhibition Boxing Record

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Tommy Morrison para niños