Had More Power Than Tyson... One Punch Knockouts and the True Story of Tommy Morrison

Tommy Morrison will forever remain one of the most tragic figures throughout pugilistic history in the 9s the blonde giant with a chiseled silhouette was the embodiment of a knockout machine mindblowing speed a big right hand devastating flurries well that's it and a million dooll punch have propelled him to the Pinnacle of the sport but the prominent heavyweights career was cut short in the prime of his potential suddenly and irrevocably today we remember the Legendary Power and dramatic path of boxing's Great White Hope may have big left go [Applause] born on January 2nd 1969 Thomas David

Morrison grew up in the American South half Irish and half Native American the future Champion was a Protegé of nature itself athletic Talent determined his success in football and basketball still the real gift was revealed in the boxing gym where the 10-year-old boy was brought to by his father according to family tradition I've always been pretty exception like sports but uh boxing is something I feel like like I just a step ahead the 15-year-old teenager was so impressive in appearance that he fought adults using a fake ID forged by his mother by 1988 fresh out

of high school Tommy's record exceeded 200 amateur matches after graduation the 19-year-old Prodigy won several Regional tournaments however following a loss in the National Olympic trials to Ray Mercer who would later take the golden Soul Morrison decided to break the shackles of unpaid boxing being an alleged distant relative of the movie star John Wayne he took the ancestors moniker the Duke and in November 1988 went on a journey to conquer the professional ring the 6'2 in tall kid with a frame north of 200 lb was menacing enough but what stuck out the most was his

patented left hook none of the initial five opponents could survive the first three minutes it wasn't until the sixth performance dated February 1989 that the Duke encountered a semblance of competition in the beginning of the fight against tayori Ali Tommy ate a few straights from long range sir he's got that square shoulder in response he turned to the trademark hook thunderous naked right hands aggravated the situation because he just walked right into a good tayori wasn't going anywhere and bravely with stood the onslaught for three rounds nevertheless at the 9-minute Mark he lingered in the

line of fire for too long there it is come on punch that's it that's what I'm a delayed reaction on that in the fourth frame another clinch decided the outcome of the meeting a finish it yep good right up all right will be the winner Ali that evening the right uppercut became the weapon of choice and knocked down the viav twice for a TKO good right up the canonical puncher style always aiming to send the Rival to the hospital did not disappoint in further [Applause] collisions Morrison invariably broke into close ERS and unloaded thumping Hooks

and uppercuts come summer he had stacked up a pile of 11 unconscious [Applause] bodies Morrison Delights his hometown Kansas City fans with a two signing with Bill Kon a famous manager responsible for Mike Tyson's rise helped the Duke's Ascension towards the elite with a team full of Professionals in the corner the surging proc suspect went on a title Conquest justifying the flattering comparisons with Iron Mike marrison has liked it because of the left tough in August of ' 89 Morrison viciously punished the Torso for 3 minutes hoping to crush Mike Robinson in spectacular fashion and

gets maximum power into that punishing Body Shots by Morrison Robins the first knockdown materialized in the dying seconds of the round Morrison just doing a great job of the body and Robinson goes down before unable to score a body shot KO in the opening stretch Robinson somehow Tommy completed the job in the second big left hand and Robinson's in trouble again I think we'll huge body shot and down the next bout two weeks later followed the same time schedule his man on the ropes here getting the best of it [Applause] incidentally as an amateur he

lost to the Olympic trials a big right hand followed up on the left by Morrison and Shelby in September Rick Andis with 15 Knockouts and 18 victories vowed to stay away from the bludgeoning Hooks and yet that was too hard of a task legs back under now but he was really rock left H there's an uppercut and that's probably going to be in [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Dave Jacko an owner of 21 wins and 18 finishes tried to keep the distance in the kickoff Tommy threw a couple of light Jabs and made the opponent taste his

mighty punch have to face a rander there's the left hand J goes down and probably [Music] out a leaping left hook became a perfect storm turning jacko's grd off with one touch the Duke's name started coming up in the title conversation in the first round Tommy The Duke Morrison comes to boxing naturally he's related to John Wayne whose real name was Marian Morrison he's grooming Tommy for a shot at heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and it could be the Grudge Match of the century confirming expectations Morrison made short work of the experienced Harry Terell his right

hand and he lands left has his opponent protecting himself for trying to against the ROP forcing the referee to initi the count in the second minute with a clubbing left the left H and down goes Tommy stamped an exclamation mark with a long overhand 227 lb big right hand should stop this fight he got to his feet but he stopped the fight another first round knockout Terell courageously endured the knockdown but soon was left dangling on the Rope hopes like a puppet with cut strings 27 lb right in a span of 11 months as a

pro the 20-year-old had 18 Victorious performances 16 of which ended in stunning annihilations The Duke was proclaimed the Great White Hope of boxing simultaneously Tommy's Charming Charisma and debilitating power brought him more than just athletic Acclaim 227 lb right hand a series of killer finishes attracted unexpected attention outside the the ropes most impressed with Morrison's abilities was Sylvester Stallone who invited him to play tommy gun in the upcoming Rocky five during pre-production the Duke fought two times to promote the movie pretty good left hand now Morrison another for one of the contests he walked out

wearing famous shorts from the franchise and Stallone himself was in the corner Tommy The Duke it was not difficult for Tommy to reproduce his signature Style on the big screen an abundance of left Hooks and shattering right hands for the viewers [Applause] liking the heavy hitter and baby mama magnet woke up as a star in an ocean full of gorgeous women can you put an estimate on the number of women I'd easily say one a day you know that's that he never knew but I'm hungry like you were all I'm asking for is a chance

and just one shot after being on the set and resting for half a year combined the freshly minted Tommy Gun returned in June of 1990 ouch nonetheless having broken his hand in a tuneup bout Morrison spent 4 months on the bench in the second comeback the previous injury did not prevent him from adding another disintegration to the portfolio he does have a devastating left cut well that's it a month later versus Mike AC the Duke scored an elegant get knocked down with a right cross we'll see down to one knee from a right hand a

picture perfect left hook closed the show L down he's Landing oh my that should be that was a left hand in 1991 Tommy Gun continued to gain momentum the crazy fighting schedule paid off and in a span of 6 months he collected four vicious stoppages walking to throw that hook and he does have a devastating left well that's it some of the victims were highish caliber heavyweights former WBC champion pinkin Thomas survived a full round of shelling big and there that wied pun he is St he's rocked this is what happens to FS when they

but a cut saved him from coming out for the second goes to his Corner this is the first man to go the distance with Tyson James Tillis could not withstand Morrison's pressure either falling with every Touch by the left hand still really to get himself back in but good left hand down goes t and a good combination Again by Morris the left and the right behind it uppercut having been knocked down twice tiis met his own demise on the ropes wondering if is well there it is that's it thus in 2 and 1/2 years the

Duke removed 28 antagonists out of the way and only four of them did not need a head scan when things were settled Tommy surpassed many world champions in popularity and became a contender for the belt moris a lot of people are pretty satisfied with saying hey you know I fought for the head boy champ of the world we don't want to fight for it we want to fight for it and win it in October of 1991 the 22-year-old Morrison went up against The Undefeated WBO Champion Ray Mercer three years have passed since their amateur match

during this period Mercer managed to win gold at the Olympics Oh cannot deny after turning Pro he claimed the world boxing organization title and finished 12 of 17 adversaries by knockout and a glancy at the onset of the third lap Tommy almost got the job done I mean he was trying to really take me out but he hit me hard I've every been hitting B but ran out of steam at the end and started eating shots the fifth round was marked by one of the most brutal moments in boxing history corner and he unloads on

him and Tommy marson's arms get tangled in the road so we can't go down like look at this see he's Tangled in the ropes oh [ __ ] bro I mean it was one of the worst Kos I ever remember seeing look at that following a short Hiatus Morrison entered the ring in February of 1992 four consecutive victories got him back on the title track all by way of knockout I'm not he's got a great respect for Morris's Powers well he should well it's simple oh man I was just going to say it's simple he

hits you with the left hook you're gone yet as soon as he declared his high aspirations Karma struck back at Tommy Gun in June Joe hip gave him all sorts of [Music] [Applause] trouble the ever tough Native American had a granite chin [Applause] rising from the dead after a monstrous right [Applause] [Music] hand having broken his jaw and hand in the fight Morrison dug deep and wrapped things up in the [Applause] ninth due to injuries the pursuit of the throne had to be put on hold returning the form the Duke added three more stoppages to

the resume and the streak reached eight in a row and there's the left hook and down go down by June of 1993 Tommy had finally deserved a shot at the WBO Crown the former Undisputed world champion George Foreman agreed to es scrap for the vacant gold big George needed no introduction for his epic wars with Joe Frasier back in the' 70s frasia taking it from George foran foran not foran again with only the great Muhammad Ali found a way to stop him he work over theer for even two decades later Foreman was still regarded as

one of the deadliest punchers ever despite the public expecting Reckless fireworks Morrison had the best tactical performance of his career the most masterful piece of boxing in Tommy's career Tommy Gun confidently outstruck the Rival and took the victory by decision with this giant achievement Morrison joined the elite club of heavyweight Kings but subsequent events displayed the unpredictable nature of fisticuffs the first defense was scheduled for August 1993 Rocky 5 co-star Mike Williams was supposed to be in the opposite corner the contest fell through at the last moment when Williams allegedly refused to take a peed

test and did not leave the locker room the night was saved by a pie loving local journeyman Tim Tomasek according to popular belief on his birthday Doughboy came to watch The Beloved champ and drink a few pints jumping into the ring for a couple of thousand doar Tim enjoyed every second this is I'm not even being factious he's trying to keep his left hand real high cuz he knows that hook getting his his his his moment here is he and meanwhile Tommy [ __ ] starting to whack his left the Duke did not appreciate tomek's

Antics and got him out of there by the fourth round that's part of the reason why he's being hit a lot harder dou left hand again that hurt Thomas and down goes Tim took the outcome very well turning it into a minute of Fame hello everybody from G I love you Mom and Dad and everybody on Tommy's side of things a money fight with lenx Lewis for the prestigious WBC strap was looming the last stop would be the decorated former amateur Michael bent with a 10in one pro record figh here we go at the outset

Morrison pressed Michael against the ropes and fired a left hook trying fight out of there bent survived and responded with the best combination he ever threw and a good rock by B and Tommy Morrison is down Tommy rose up and got sent to the floor seconds later been down before and fight that he has won and now Tommy Morrison gets hit with the third fall turned out to be the last and be just throwing nothing but Haymakers right now and Morrison in deep trouble and Morrison is down and the fight is over under a reain

of punches from bent the Duke was dropped three times in just a minute and a half and lost due to the three knockdown rule the belt wasn't the only thing to go though $8 million and a title shot against Lewis also vanished Into the Blue the fat paycheck Pursuit ended in vain on the other hand with youth still on his side Morrison was able ble to come back with a streak of three victories in 1994 uppercut by Morrison down and another upper the turning point in the Duke's career was the bout in July versus Ross

Purity who had hand Vladimir kitko his first defeat in the future Tommy kick things off well and he is gripping him with those B oh what a left hand by Morrison in big trouble morr but the gas tank failed him and Morrison took a knee in the sixth round right and Morrison is down he barely escaped the Finish after collapsing in the 10th away right now yes he is down he goes again the Duke somehow survived to see the final Bell and the meeting ended in a controversial draw a draw this was a very close

fight that is not a bad decision the irreparable damage was done the Great White Hope went on a spree for half a year and got addicted to substances in that time Tommy's a celebrity he's a star but he's also a young kid who has no clue how to handle that and he start surround himself with an Entourage and they call us up at midnight 1:00 and say Hey you better come and get your boy he's laid P down on the floor might want to come again before the media gets here so we run down and

pick him up and throw him in the back of a pickup truck and carry him home having recovered 7 months later he continued to stack up backto back Knockouts over questionable opposition I think the end is just a bad of upon there's the hook Andy pointed out taking the L round round before that very [Music] close in June of 1995 Tommy was offered a clash with Donovan Ruck for the vacant and meaningless IBC belt until recently the Canadian was considered a top-notch heavyweight with a razor sharp shot that rarely left fights at the judge's mercy

and a left uppercut goes down he did not disappoint even on late notice bringing the Rival on all fours in the opening minute oh there goes Morrison regardless the Duke leveled the odds with a standing knockdown courtesy of an uppercut but he still paid for it oh he r with a right uppercut R got rock by the same not toward the end of the fourth round Ruck got in trouble good uppercup for morison comes back he's got R Hur he hurt him with the left H but managed to escape the scuffle theatrically but R is

talking to him finally in the sixth the Canadian landed a good one and rushed to pursue Morrison may have hurt Morrison big left go Tommy Gun smelled blood and ended the Duel By TKO 10 more seconds and it's a long one he will not do it oh my it's over having survived the fall at the outside of the scrap the Duke responded with a series of concussive offerings as usual the iconic left hook became the key to Victory ironic may have hurt Morrison big left with four Knockouts in a row Morrison got a dream match

with Lennox Lewis with 23 Knockouts and 27 wins Lennox was considered to be one of the most most technical boxers at heavyweight him not to counter punch a year earlier he had lost his WC title and was now challenging for the Americans Crown how to ease his way from the very beginning Lewis commanded the distance and discourage the adversary from entering using a power jab slow it down because this is the best Punch The Duke was wasting energy and trying to bite back there's a right hard right but in the second round the contest turned

into a beating long St and there good byot in the fifth Tommy was rocked by a right uppercut by Lennox Lewis's arms and there's a Monumental uppercut he fought pretty much blind afterwards due to swollen hematomas and got sent to the canvas again been a factor so far down goes Morrison again rising from the knockdown Morrison tried to recover in the clinch and was chinned with a precise left hook very close to a stoppage here you get that sense down goes Morrison again and I wonder out of the fight and that'll do it a terrific

performance throughout the confrontation Lennox was shooting the kill and maintained an undeniable lead the champion proved to be a warrior and only gave up the belt when the referee made the decision for him continues losing to a great fighter like Lewis was not the end of the world for the American however the terrible news that broke out in February of 1996 cut the 27-year-old Morrison's career short there was a certain point in time in my life that I lived a very permissive fast re Reckless lifestyle have more extensive test run and I was informed just

a little while ago that uh those tests do in fact confirm that I have tested positive for the HIV virus as an individual that had the opportunity to be a role model and blew it as crazy as it may sound in November of 1996 Tommy went to Japan far away from any athletic commission and performed over there Marcus RH who agreed to be the Duke's farewell opponent did not last even 2 minutes with what Tommy Marron is going through this fight is over from then on the Golden Boy spiraled down the drain booze drugs and

prison became the new reality for the guy who had recently been compared to Frasier and Tyson he disappeared for 10 long years only at the turn of the Century the unrecognizable former Champion has had enough and changed his destructive lifestyle in 2007 a shocking statement came out that Morrison might have been misdiagnosed the latest test results came clear it is difficult to say whether it was the outcome of intensive treatment which made it temporarily impossible to detect the virus or there was shady business going on the latter is definitely not something you'd want to believe

in primarily because Morrison now believes he never had HIV the more research I did uh the more I found out that what I was being told was a bunch of bull be that as it may the 38-year-old Tommy Dove deep into the conspiracy Rabbit Hole by the moment people raised concern Morrison had already obtained a boxing license and resumed his career when he returned fans were baffled by the ugly breast implants and lousy physique Tommy had two professional appearances against against rookies both ended by way of a finish he even managed to fight in the

increasingly popular MMA performing a couple times at Indian reservations in the late 2000s his health deteriorated and Duke finally hung up the gloves during the last years Morrison was unable to visit the gym the only place where he felt at peace despite that he maintained good relationships with his sons who followed in their Father's Footsteps and became boxers the brothers are strikingly similar to their dad and both inherited devastating power disease complications became apparent in 2013 and by the summer Tommy could no longer move on his own he passed away the first day of autumn

at the age of [Music] 44 in the mid90s the whole world was at Morrison's feet the young heavyweights ambition were complimented by a thunderous left hook his record has been immortalized with 42 Knockouts out of 48 victories and he only lost on three occasions exclusively to worthy boxers unable to handle stardom the two-time world champion burned through life like a rock star am lost the Olympic trials a big right hand upper there's a left handb big right hand and although the exemplary citizen image turned into ashes Tommy Gun left a glorious mark inside the ring

down he's Landing oh good right up and a good combination Again by Morris a left to the right behind cut his tragedy could serve as a warning to Future Generations before he gets a chance to grab on good combination simple oh man I was just going to say it's simple MS says don't do that again and there's the left hook and down Hook by R it may have hurt Morrison big left hook goes R the runner