Tommy Morrison Dead at 44
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(NEW YORK) — Tommy Morrison, the former WBO heavyweight champion, passed away at a hospital in Omaha, Nebraska at the age of 44 Sunday night.
Morrison won the heavyweight title in 1993 when he defeated George Foreman. Morrison was scheduled to defend the title against Lennox Lewis, but Morrison proceeded to lose in a tuneup match with Michael Bennt, leading to the canceling
of his fight with Lewis.
In Rocky V, which was released in 1990, he played Tommy Gunn, a protégé of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa. Gunn eventually turned on Rocky, and in the film’s climax, the two settled their differences in a street fight.
In 1996, the boxer tested positive for HIV, a result he’s always contested. Either way, the test resulted in Morrison having his boxing license suspended in Nevada, a decision that was upheld by almost every other sanctioning body.
Morrison finished his boxing career with a record of 48-3-1 with 42 knockouts.
According to ESPN, Morrison died at 11:50 PM Sunday, with his wife, Trisha by his side.
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