Biography
The brief, but the impressive sports career of the professional American boxer Tommy Morrison came in 1988-1996. World champion among heavyweights according to WBO was famous not only convincing victories over rivals, but also on the roles of film and on television. The peak of the popularity of the King Ring of 1993 was a partnership with Sylvester Stallone in John Evidsen's militant "Rockki-5".Childhood and youth
Tommy David Morrison was born on January 2, 1969 in the American city of Greyvette, located in the Arkansas Benton County. Diana's mother belonged to the tribe of the indigenous Indians, and his father was an outcomes from Scotland.
Embed from getty imagesWhen Tommy was small, the family moved to Oklahoma and settled in a small town called Jay. There was no entertainment for adolescents in the district, and 10-year-old Morrison, following the example of the older brother, Tima took up sports.
At first, the guy entered the baseball section, but for bad behavior after a few months they were excluded. As a revenge, the exile was planning to smear obscene crosshassion on the playing field, but as a result, the markup and green lawn burned entirely.
Parents had to look for a new section for a son, which, having mastered the basics of behavior in the ring and mastering the basic technical techniques, with a fake identity card, declared competitions for beginner boxers. Later, in an interview with the newspaper The New York Times, heavyweight told that in 15 fights with superior guys he won 14 victories.
Embed from getty imagesAt the same time, the future champion told reporters about one of the duel, a marriage in the backyard of the family house. In an award for the award, as Diana offered a pop bottle, a 5-year-old boy smaring the neighbor, who was 3 years older than him.
In 1988, Morrison won the regional tournament called "Golden Gloves" and advanced to National Competitions in Omaha, where, by decision of judges, the victory went to the future opponent Mike Tyson Derek Isaman.
Returning to his hometown, Tommy filed a request for participation in the Olympic tests, and in the 1st match he earned the title "Best Heavyweight" and was recognized as the most outstanding fighter of the Houston tournament.
Martial arts
Morrison's professional biography began with a fight against William Mukhamad, held on November 10, 1988 in New York. This duel lasted 4 minutes and ended with knockout in favor of Tommy. 3 weeks later, a young boxer repeated a successful performance and by the end of 1989 achieved impressive results, without losing a single fight out of 19.The first defeat Morrison suffered in 1991, having met in the ring with a former world champion - invincible Ray Mercer. In the 5th round, a more experienced and titled athlete sent a fighter into one hundred percent knockout and deprived the last opportunity to move and think.
In 1992, Tommy returned to the former channel and, having won 6 convincing victories, became the first native American who had challenged the winner of the title of a heavyweight champion.
Morrison's opponent was the legendary George Foreman, who had numerous prestigious titles and rewards. Fearing to join the near fight, the young applicant took an expectant position with short rapid attacks from afar. As a result, the age athlete could not stand the speed, and on the unanimous decision of the judges, the victory went to a more energetic boxer.
Now Tommy had to defend the title received, and he did it in a fight with a non-chemical Timasy. Immediately after that, there were conversations about the fight with the WBC champion Lennox Lewis, but after Morrison suffered a defeat from almost unknown Michael Bentt, the plans of the title-fight organizers had to postpone.
Only in October 1995, after Tommy received the title of the winner of the IBC, famous boxers came together in the ring of the American Hall Convention. From the first minutes of the battle, Lewis seen the initiative and sent a rival in Nokdown with powerful blows on the hull and face four times. As a result, the judges stopped the fight, because because of blood filled and swollen eyes, Morrison almost saw nothing. The victory went to the British-Canadian athlete, and American went to restore health.
By 1996, Tommy's form consisted of the requirements of the organizers of the fights, and rumors went about the upcoming meetings with Arthur Veser and Mike Tyson. However, these plans were not carried out due to the fact that HIV discovered on Medical examination at Morrison.
In subsequent years, the athlete has repeatedly tried to return to the box and get a license for the right to participate in official fights. But until 2007, he could not succeed. Then the International Federation of Martial Arts still allowed a former champion in Ring, and Morrison met with MMA fighter John Strave and Boxers Marcus, John Castle and Matt Weishaar.
Films
Despite the overwhelming number of battles won, Morrison did not achieve the fame of Tyson Tyska and Evander Holyfield. Popularity to the boxer came through the shooting in the art film directed by John Evidsen "Rocky-5".
According to the plot, an inexperienced fighter was improved thanks to training under the leadership of the famous champion Rocky Balboa, but as a result was only a pale shadow of his teacher, who could not confront even in a simple street brawl.
Having an increase in 188 cm and weighing 125 kg, Tommy looked good in the role of a student of the famous bodybuilder Sylvester Stallone, but he could not become a movie star.
The picture turned out to be banal and gained fame due to the nominations for the anti-strain "Golden Raspberry" and entering the list of "100 worst ideas of the XX century." When shooting ended, Morrison left the acting and only at the end of the sports career appeared in the episodic role in the television comedy TV series "Sibil".
Personal life
In the privacy of Morrison reigned full chaos. There were alcohol, drugs, dozens of women living in different cities of the United States, and two children who appeared when an athlete was 19 years old.Many girlfriends accompanied the boxer at competitions and cashed him bachelor leisure. The coach persuaded the ward to be cooled, but Tommy, who was addicted to female attention, did not listen and continued to promote indiscriminate unprotected sex.
Only when it became known about HIV infection, Morrison married an old familiar Don Freimen. A happy life with a TV, pizza and marijuana quickly ended, when the Beloved Dun Gilbert from Tijuana appeared on the Boxer horizon, soon became the illegal second wife.
Embed from getty imagesThe girls knew about each other and put up with the current situation, but when in 1999 Tommy was put in prison for the storage of prohibited drugs and weapons, Freeman demanded a divorce and left her husband forever.
Gilbert was more patient. After waiting for the liberation, she persuaded Morrison to begin treatment, thanks to which the immunodeficiency virus began to retreat. Spouses lived until 2007 and broke up after Tommy returned to the sport.
The last wife Tommy became the British Patricia Harding, who believed in the absence of communication between AIDS and HIV. Details of their personal relationship are unknown.
Death
By the summer of 2013, it became known that Morrison was chained to bed, and on September 1, he died at the Medical Center in Omaha at the age of 44.
According to the Department of Health and Social Services of the State of Nebraska, the cause of the death of a professional boxer has become a stop of the heart as a result of polyorgan deficiency and sepsis.
After the funeral on the grave of Tommy, relatives set a marble slab with a photo of an athlete and an inscription:
"In memory of the beloved Son, Brother and Father."Titles and awards
- 1993 - World WBO Champion
- 1995 - World Champion according to IBC
Filmography
- 1990 - "Rocky 5"
- 1995 - "Sibil"