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Tommy Morrison
“drugs, Prison, and despair, and Redemption”
By Mike Casile - Philadelphia boxing Report
(ESPN) Radio
(SEPT 28) In the late 1980’s, Mike Tyson was
tearing through a dismal group of contenders, and an aging group of
champion’s in the Heavyweight division. He appeared at a time, when the
heavyweight division, looked very much like it does now. As we watched
him dominate, then slowly self destruct, there was another young
fighter, who had no amateur experience to speak of, and was as raw a
fighter, that had ever stepped into the ring. If coming straight form
the toughman circuit wasn’t hard enough for Tommy Morrison, he also had
to carry a sorry banner of “the great white hope”, which was pretty much
used as toilet paper, by Jerry Cooney.
He didn’t think much of the media created title, in fact, he laughs
about it saying, “If someone thought I was an easy fight because of my
skin color, they were usually thinking differently looking up from the
canvas”. Tommy began his career at the Felt Forum in New York City. He
totally destroyed his opponent in a matter of minutes. Between 1988, and
his retirement in 1996, he fought 50 times, with 40 KO’s, 3 losses, and
1 draw. He fought 19 times in 1989, something I do not think has been
repeated by too many heavyweights in my era, and he ended his career,
the way it started, with a first round knock out of Marcus Rhodes.
Tommy had two things that can hurt any young person, money and fame.
After testing positive for the H.I.V virus, before a tune up fight, that
was to lead to a shot at Mike Tyson, Tommy’s world took a tumble, and
almost immiedetly, the entire world looked away from him. He was a
diseased outcast, and the media that adorned him with pugilistic
accolades, suddenly forced Tommy into a new role, the invisible man...
He was on the world’s stage, of one the most high profile sports, he was
co-starring in movie’s with the industry’s biggest actors, his American
dream, became a personal nightmare. He did 14 months for drugs and
weapon charges, as well as pleading guilty for drunk driving. “I didn’t
care about anybody, I was taking drugs, falling into a downward spiral,
and I thought I was dead.”
He of course admits doing a lot of things that he probably shouldn’t
have, but we are also talking about a simple country boy, with barely a
High school education. If you are looking for a bunch of
psychoanalytical bull from Tommy, you are not going to get it. He is a
straight shooter, maybe a little too straight. When I asked about the
current crop of Heavy weights, he answered, “The Klitschko brothers? I
do not know who the hell they are, and I don’t care, I ill beat them
all.” When I told him the current line up, he laughed and replied, “Big
guys can’t fight. They are too slow and flat footed and they stand
straight up” I had to remind him that only one Klitschko brother is
fighting, he replied “there’s a difference?”
Tommy is in Arizona training. He has never looked better physically, and
mentally, he sounds very together. He even said that Emmanuel Stewart
has made an offer to be his trainer, which is probably something that
would make front page news in the boxing world. If he were to pass his
test in Phoenix, then the heavyweight division would have to take
notice. The reality is , there was a better crop of fighters when
Morrison retired, than there is now, and if he does what he says he can
do, It should revive a division that has not had a spark since the mid
90’s, which coincidentally is the same time Tommy retired.
Mike Casile
www.philaboxingreport.com
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