RSSMorrison 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.”
Major Stories • Tommy Morrison Comeback • Promoters • Bob Arum • Weight Classes • Heavyweight • Tommy Morrison
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