After the biggest win of his career over George Foreman in June of 1993, Tommy Morrison went back home and had an easy title defense against Tim Tomashek on August 30th in Kansas City. Morrison stopped the overwhelmed opponent, and stopped him in 4 rounds. Talks of a showdown with Lennox Lewis were in the news, and I really wondered to myself if Tommy should take that fight. Quite frankly, I didn’t think he could handle the supremely talented big man from London.
It became a mute point on October 29th, when Tommy fought Michael Bentt on HBO in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After starting the first round in quick fashion, incredibly Bentt dropped Tommy on the seat of his pants with a counter punch combination. Two more knockdowns followed, and the bout was called, ending any hopes for a Lennox Lewis mega-fight in 1994. I couldn’t believe Morrison had gotten knocked out by a guy with only 11 pro fights, and was sick all night as a result. The bottom line was that Tommy had no chin, and would never be an elite fighter because of it.
Morrison did what he had to do, which meant taking some time off from the ring. He returned four months later, and fought a few tomato cans to regain his confidence, recording three wins in four months, two by knockout. In July another setback occurred when he was dropped by journeyman Ross Puritty, and fought to a draw. I wondered at this point what would come of Tommy, having been knocked down yet again.
Morrison went on extended vacation after this disastrous night, and didn’t fight again until February 7, 1995. He easily knocked out three more stiffs in four months, setting up his next big bout. A June 10th date with Donovan ‘Razor’ Ruddock in Kansas City, Missouri. Ruddock had been missing in action since his October 31, 1992 knockout defeat to Lennox Lewis, so this was a chance for him to put his name back in the forefront.
Incredibly, Ruddock dropped Morrison less than a minute into the first round. Tommy did fight back, and in the second round, hurt Razor, causing the referee to call a standing eight count. The action was back and forth for the next three rounds, with both men landing big shots. In the sixth, out of nowhere, Tommy landing a whistling left hook that dropped Ruddock down to the canvas. Morrison jumped right back on his victim, causing the ref to call another standing eight count. With only thirty seconds left, Tommy landed as many punches as he physically could, forcing a halt to the action, and restoring his name back to the top of the division.
It had been a great night for me. I had just purchased a state of the art 46″ projection tv from Sears, and this bout on pay-per-view was the first time I had my own closed circuit show at home. I had even dropped $200 on Tommy in Vegas to win on my last trip there, so it was an awesome night on all ends. I was also glad Tommy came through, because when it came to the heavyweight division, a fighter is only one win away from redemption.
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