RSSTommy Morrison Comeback
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Holmes: Morrison is “Full of Crap”, Still Has AIDS
Former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes appeared on ESPN Radio’s The Dan Patrick Show earlier today and certainly didn’t shy away from talking about the Tommy Morrison situation going on right now…
Holmes on Morrison’s claims of being AIDS-free:
“I think he’s full of crap. I think he’s got it and it’s a shame that he gets in the ring and he just might infect someone else. We still don’t know a lot about that disease that he’s carrying around called AIDS,” Holmes said.
Holmes on why Morrison is still fighting despite having the disease:
“I think he’s broke and he could use some money and that’s why fighters do these things. That’s why fighters are fighting him. They could get a few dollars by stepping in the ring and facing Tommy Morrison. We could all say ‘well it won’t happen to me,’ but it could happen to you,” Holmes said. “Tommy Morrison thought the same thing ‘it would never happen to me.’ Look it happened to him. He’s infected and he says ‘what hell, I might as well give someone else the disease, somebody gave it to me.’
Holmes on testing and Morrison’s next fight:
“They (Nevada State Athletic Commission) are going to put him through a test. When I fought in Las Vegas over the age of 40, they put me through ever test to make sure I was healthy. They wanted to make sure that I was capable to do what I was doing and those are the kind of tests they are going to put Tommy Morrison through. He knows this and this is why he chose not to go to Las Vegas,” Holmes said. “Anybody can go to a reservation. I’m 57-years-old and if I wanted to fight, I can go to any reservation to fight. But, if I go to Las Vegas, they are going to put me through all kinds of tests to make sure I can even stand up. Not only if I could stand up, but somebody would tell me no.
Holmes on getting in the ring with Morrison:
“No. I wouldn’t get in the ring with Tommy Morrison now because of the disease that he has and I don’t want to be infected. I don’t know why anybody would want to get in the ring with him. They have to be desperate fighters to get in the ring with Tommy Morrison and not really caring about their life or their family’s lives,” Holmes said.
“I want to say to Tommy and I hope he’s listening. Give it up. You were former heavyweight champion of the world. You beat George Foreman. You should put that on your chest and wear it. No matter what people say, you were the heavyweight champ of the world so why continue to go out there and stress yourself out.”
Permalink
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Morrison Bout Cancelled Because of Late Lab Results
It’s late so here’s ESPN via the AP giving a quick rundown on what happened…
Former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison was pulled from a scheduled bout Friday night because state boxing officials didn’t get the results of lab tests in time. Dick Cole, boxing administrator for the state’s Department of Licensing and Regulation, said a Houston doctor, Jorge Guerrero, examined Morrison on Thursday and cleared him to fight. But Guerrero never filed the paperwork required by the agency, Cole said.
Morrison told Houston television station KRIV he was stunned when he learned the fight was canceled.
“I’ve done everything I was asked,” Morrison said. “These blood tests can take up to eight days. Yet they bring me in here five days before the fight. It almost feels like a setup.”
Cole said the agency is trying get the issue resolved.
“As soon as we get that in, he’ll be licensed,” Cole said. “They say he’s OK. But we can’t afford to just assume like that. I’m sure he is fine. But we need to have certain forms to prove it and we don’t have those.”
Morrison was slated to fight Dale Ortiz in a four-round bout in a Houston hotel ballroom.
“I thought it was a joke,” Morrison said about the canceled fight. “They dropped the ball, but I’m used to this kind of stuff.”
On Thursday, Patrick Shaughnessy, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, said Morrison had been granted a boxing license in Texas. Cole said the agency gave Morrison a “verbal agreement” to issue him a license, but it could not officially grant one until it received the paperwork. Cole expected to have the lab tests Thursday night, but he said the doctor could not finish them.
Permalink
Friday, April 27, 2007
Morrison Tests Negative; Cleared to Fight in Texas
Former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison’s most recent blood test has come back negative for HIV. Morrison is now cleared to take on Dale Ortiz in a four-round heavyweight bout this evening per ESPN:
Heavyweight Tommy Morrison was granted a boxing license in Texas on Thursday when his blood test came back negative for HIV. The negative test cleared the path for Morrison (47-3-1, 41 KOs) to face Dale Ortiz (3-1, 2 KOs) in a four-round fight Friday night at Houston’s Plaza Hotel in the second bout of his improbable comeback.
He arrived in Texas earlier this week and submitted to more testing.
“I got a verbal report that [the HIV test] is negative,” Dickie Cole of the Texas Department of Combative Sports told ESPN.com. “I’ll pick up the written report in the morning.”
Cole said he received the report from Dr. Jorge Guerrero, who is a Texas ringside physician.
“The doctor said he is clear and he won’t cause anyone any problems,” Cole said.
Morrison was tested last week in Arizona and the negative results were forwarded to Texas, Cole said. But Texas officials wanted to perform their own test.
“We ran a more intense test, a complete blood workup,” Cole said. “It was negative for HIV, hepatitis B and C. He’s licensed. We could have licensed him with the original blood work from Arizona a week ago. We got that written report, but we wanted our doctor to check him also. The doctor did that. He’s licensed in Texas and able to fight.”
If Morrison tested positive in 1996, how come he is constantly coming up negative now? Doctor Elizabeth Merrill takes a stab at trying to explain one of the possible reasons…
How could Tommy Morrison test positive for HIV in 1996 and pass a blood test now?
Medicine may have suppressed the virus to undetectable levels. Dr. Jeff Kirchner of the American Academy of HIV Medicine said the virus never goes away, but that drugs can put a patient in remission. “You can live a very healthy, very long life with this disease,” Kirchner said.
“[But] you’re positive for the rest of your life, even if you’re going very well and are in remission.”
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Morrison Returns on April 27
From Lee Samuels of Boxing Scene...
The big comeback roars on. Former world heavyweight champion Tommy ‘The Duke’ Morrison will box on a Top Rank fight card at the Grand Plaza Hotel in Houston, Texas on Friday, April 27.
Morrison, 38, will take on ‘Dynamite’ Dale Ortiz, 28, in a four-round bout. This will be Morrison’s second bout on his heralded comeback. On Jan. 22, he returned to the ring, fired a hard left hook and stopped John Castle in the second round in Chester, West Virginia.
“That was my first fight - and win - in 11 years,” Morrison said. “I am determined to keep it going.”
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Morrison Blames Steroids for Positive HIV Tests
Former WBO Heavyweight Champion Tommy Morrison stated that his use of steroids in 1996 was the cause for a positive HIV test that year according to a recent interview Morrison did with Chuck Johnson of USA Today.
“I never had it in the first place,” Morrison told USA Today . “I was kicked to the curb and lost more than 10 years of my career because of a false positive. I was using steroids at the time. I believe that’s why the test came back the way it did. But I’ve taken five or six different tests in the last three or four months and I passed them all. I’ve got my livelihood back and the timing couldn’t be more perfect because as I look across the heavyweight division, there’s nobody that can beat me. I’ll be heavyweight champion of the world.”
Many doctors refuse to believe that Morrison has mysteriously rid of the virus inside of his body. Dr. Michael Schwartz, head of the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians, is one of them.
“Once somebody tests positive for HIV, they should always test positive,” Schwartz said. “If there’s a negative result, then you can only assume that it’s a one in a billion (miracle) where somebody goes from a positive to a negative or that the initial test was a false positive.”
Top Rank President Bob Arum who also serves as Morrison’s promoter says that the concern shouldn’t be on whether or not Morrison still has the HIV virus but should rather be focused on Morrison’s boxing skills. Are they still decent enough to allow him to take on today’s heavyweight fighters?
“He’s tested negative, so there is no medical concern and he is not at risk of infecting anybody,” Arum says. “That leaves the question of whether after 10½ years, can he still fight? The jury is still out on that. What I got from that first fight … was that because of rust, he can’t get out of the way of any punches. The guy punched the hell out of him. But I also learned that Tommy Morrison still retains at least a semblance of the left hook he used to have. He showed that when he knocked the guy out.”
“By keeping him off television and putting him against mediocre opposition, we’ll be able to see if he’s making progress. If it doesn’t pan out, he won’t be embarrassed. I don’t want anybody to say we’re exploiting him.”
Permalink
Monday, March 26, 2007
Morrison Out Until May With Rib Injury
Tommy Morrison will be out of action until at least May with injured ribs stemming from his February victory over John Castle according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.
Morrison’s promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, was planning to have him fight on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Jorge Solis PPV on April 14th but was then informed that Morrison would not be ready to fight until May.
“He’s not ready to go,” Arum said. “His ribs were hurting. We expect him to be ready to go in May.”
Permalink
Friday, February 23, 2007
Morrison, Tua Victorious
Former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison stopped John Castle in the second round of their fight last night and started his return back to the heavweight boxing scene with a bang, 11 years after he first reportedly tested positive for HIV.
Morrison was happy with his performance considering it had been so long since he last fought and has plans on getting back into the ring as soon as March…
“I’m pretty happy with the way I fought,” Morrison said. “I would rate myself about a 6½ considering how long I have been out of the ring. The last thing you lose as a heavyweight is your power.”
“I want to fight again, maybe twice in March,” he said. “My timing was off, but timing is feeling it, getting the rhythm. That’s the last thing you get back. I have a ways to go there. My power is still there. The rest will come. I am just excited to be back.”
Castle stated after the fight that the bout almost didn’t happen until he saw Morrison’s medical tests:
“Wouldn’t you? I was going to refuse to fight,” Castle told the New York Daily News. “I asked to see his medical tests and they showed me three tests where he was negative for HIV. That’s the only way I would fight.”
David Tua also won his comeback fight last night, defeating Robert Hawkins last night in a 10 round unanimous decision.
After the fight Tua made it known that he is in this for nothing but the gold…
“Winning the world championship is the only thing that matters and I’m going to do everything in my power to reach that goal,” the 34-year-old Tua said.
“Two or three more fights dand I’ll be ready,” Tua said. “I am putting everything aside to concentrate on my goal.”
Permalink
Thursday, February 22, 2007
EEC - February 22, 2007
Woooooooo!
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Lalia Ali will participate in the next edition of ABC’s Dancing With The Stars…
- Jim Lampley was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of violating a restraining order. He was also was ordered to stay away from Candice Sanders as well, a continuation of the restraining order.
- Joel Casamayor was stripped of his WBC Lightweight Title for discussing a fight between himself and WBO Lightweight belt holder Acelino Freias. David Diaz has now been named the WBC champ. Strict I know…
Casamayor and his promotional company released this statement
Santa Barbara Management strongly disagrees with the decision of the WBC to strip Joel Casamayor of his Lightweight Championship. Joel won his title the way a true champion should, in the ring. He has done nothing to justify this outrageous decision by the WBC and we are considering all of our options, legal or otherwise. Joel and everyone at Santa Barbara Management would like to thank all of the fans and others within the boxing community who have phoned and emailed us to show their support.
- Reports are coming out that Nikolai Valuev will make a mandatory title defense against Ruslan Chagaev on April 14th in Germany like we previously reported. Just another reason to stay on top of us for the latest news…
- Tommy Morrison will speak in an interview after his fight tonight according to Versus…
VERSUS will have a pre-taped interview with Tommy Morrison as well as a live interview during the telecast tomorrow night as part of its VERSUS Fight Night in collaboration with Top Rank Boxing at 9 p.m. ET from the Mountaineer Race Track & Gaming Resort in Chester, West Virginia.
Permalink
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Report: Morrison Cleared to Fight on Thursday
According to various reports that are coming out, Tommy Morrison has been cleared to return to the ring after passing a slew of medical tests and will take on John Castle on Thursday night.
An official announcement regarding the matter is expected to take place later today…
The card that Morrison is fighting on will be televised on Versus. There hasn’t been any indication as of yet if they will move his bout up in order to be televised.
Update 4:33 PM: It’s looking like the fight is not going to be televised at this point. Top Rank has moved the press conference discussing Morrison’s return to tomorrow.
Update 6:00 PM: A little media roundup for you…
ESPN: Morrison medically cleared to fight Thursday
Deadspin: Eventually, The Running Man Will Become Reality
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Morrison set to return
Boxing Scene: Tommy Morrison May Finally Return on 2/22 Card
Eastside Boxing: Morrison Returns to the Ring Thursday!
Seconds Out: Morrison to fight on Top Rank card
Update 2/21 8:36 AM: The AP story that I came across when I woke up gives us a new perspective on things:
Morrison did a telephone interview with the AP last night and stated that he has always been HIV-negative…
“I’m negative and I’ve always been negative and that should be the end of it,” Morrison said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.
“The rug was yanked out from under my feet by a misdiagnosis,” he said. “All I want to do is fight. ... It’s unfinished business.”
West Virginia State Athletic Commissioner Steve Allred has said that he has indeed approved Morrison’s ability to box tomorrow night.
Interesting thing to note: West Virginia does not have mandatory blood testing for boxers.
Also contrary to many reports which said that Top Rank would wait for a Morrison victory before they sign him, Morrison announced that he has already signed with the promotional company. Morrison said that he signed with them for at least eight fights this year…
Permalink
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Tommy Gunn is HIV Free
Trust me, I can’t believe it either…
Ten years after first testing positive for HIV, former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison has now tested negative for HIV.
Arizona State Boxing Commissioner John Mantano oversaw a blood test at a Phoenix laboratory and announced the official results today that Morrison tested negative for the virus.
However Morrison will not be fighting this weekend as originally planned. Morrison injured his hand during a recent training session and will not be allowed to fight this weekend by doctors.
He’s not out of the woods yet either when it comes to getting his license - Mantano will watch Morrison spar in the gym once his hand injury heals and will determine whether or not he is fit enough to continue his boxing career.
Update 2:53 AM: Apparently this whole may be bogus afterall - It’s a thought that crossed my mind but I didn’t actually take it seriously until a few minutes ago.
I did a little research and I found that the Arizona State Boxing Commission hasn’t always been the most truthful of organizations so there could be the possibility that they are just trying to make a buck and don’t have a care in the world for the health of Morrison’s opponent. Also, I found that the virus can sometimes go dormant and that a test may come back negative for a couple of months while the person may still have the virus.