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Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Tommy Morrison’s HIV Denial
Mike Freeman takes a look a Tommy Morrison’s denial of having HIV, and whether or not it should matter if he fights.
There are only two possibilities when it comes to Morrison. He is either understandably denying the painful fact that he has contracted a terminal illness, or he is the victim of a monstrous scheme that would put every other boxing scandal to distinct shame and supermarket tabloids on red alert.
The likelihood is that Morrison did contract the virus and there is no false positive. There must be a part of him that knows this. When speaking to Morrison, a fighter I have long admired for his hard punches and courage in the ring, he vacillates between the two opposites, using language that seems to acknowledge he is HIV positive, and verbiage that conversely says he does not have it.
In one breath, he talks about lacking any symptoms, and uses phrases like false positives. In another, he says there is no known case of HIV transmission from athlete to athlete, and how that fact should allow him to fight again, how his viral levels are almost non-existent and how if his license is not reinstated, he might sue to get it back.
It’s thought provoking, if nothing else.
A massive conspiracy? A denial of grand proportions? Or something that might not matter at all if he has a willing opponent?
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Morrison Attempts Comeback
Former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison is planning on resuming his boxing career ten years after being suspended from boxing for testing HIV positive. He plans to present his case to the Phoenix State Athletic Commission sometime this week in order to acquire a new license. His attorney, Randy Lang, stated that Morrison has only been tested once for HIV since 1996.
The possible risks seem to be too high for possible opponents of Morrison, who will probably encounter a very hard time trying to find a fighter who will stand across the ring from him, even if he does pass state tests.