Tommy Morrison Net Worth

What was Tommy Morrison's Net Worth?

Tommy Morrison was an American professional boxer who had a net worth of $10 thousand at the time of his death. During his career, which lasted from 1988 to 2008, Tommy Morrison held the World Boxing Organization heavyweight title in 1993 and the International Boxing Council heavyweight title in 1995. He also played Tommy Gunn in the 1990 film "Rocky V," and later in his life dabbled in mixed martial arts.

Early Life and Education

Tommy Morrison was born on January 2, 1969 in Gravette, Arkansas to a Native American mother and a father of Irish heritage. He was raised in Delaware County, Oklahoma, spending the majority of his adolescence in Jay. After graduating from high school in 1988, Morrison earned a football scholarship to Emporia State University in Kansas.

Amateur Boxing Career

In 1988, Morrison won the regional Kansas City Golden Gloves heavyweight title and advanced to the National Golden Gloves in Omaha, Nebraska. There, he made it to the semifinals, losing in a split decision to Derek Isaman. Just two weeks later, Morrison competed in the Western Olympic trials and qualified for the nationals. In the nationals, he lost to Ray Mercer, the future gold medalist at the Summer Olympics in Seoul. Morrison finished his amateur career with a 202-20 record.

Professional Boxing Career

Morrison had his first professional boxing match in late 1988, against William Muhammad in New York City. It was a first-round knockout victory for Morrison. He claimed another first-round knockout a few weeks later against Tony Dewar. Morrison continued his first-round knockout wins for his first three fights of 1989, and went undefeated for the year with 19 total wins. He won all three of his matches in 1990, and won four matches in 1991 before suffering his first career loss in a WBO heavyweight title bout against Ray Mercer. Morrison went on to win all six of his fights in 1992, and all via TKO. He won his first two fights of 1993 in the same fashion before facing the legendary George Foreman for the WBO heavyweight title. The fight ended up being mostly tepid and lopsided, with Morrison beating Foreman by unanimous decision and becoming the new WBO heavyweight champion. He successfully defended the title against Tim Tomashek before losing it to Michael Bentt by the end of the year in a brutal first-round TKO.

Morrison bounced back from his drubbing by Bentt with three victories in the first half of 1994. In his fourth and final match of the year, he drew with Ross Puritty. Morrison had another good year in 1995, again winning his first three fights of the year. In his fourth bout, he faced Donovan Ruddock for the vacant IBC heavyweight title and won via TKO. Morrison would go on to lose the title four months later to Lennox Lewis. In early 1996, Morrison's career was abruptly halted when it was found that he had tested positive for HIV. Although he stated that he would never fight again, he decided to go for one last bout to benefit the KnockOut AIDS Foundation, which he established. The bout came in late 1996 in Japan, with Morrison beating Marcus Rhode by TKO in the first round. However, it was not ultimately Morrison's last, as he made a comeback over a decade later after testing negative for HIV. In his first fight back, in early 2007, he beat John Castle via TKO. He went on to defeat Matt Weishaar by TKO in early 2008 in what would be the final bout of his life.

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Mixed Martial Arts

Morrison dabbled in mixed martial arts in 2007 when he faced the 340-pound John Stover at WFC: Rumble in the Red Rocks in Arizona. With a first-round TKO, Morrison won the fight, which was considered an exhibition match. He went on to fight in his first and last professional MMA match in early 2009, defeating Corey Williams for the Wyoming heavyweight title.

Rocky V

In 1989, Morrison caught the attention of actor Sylvester Stallone, who arranged a script reading for Morrison for the upcoming "Rocky" sequel "Rocky V." Morrison took six months off from professional boxing to play the role of Tommy Gunn, the young protégé of Stallone's retired Rocky Balboa. "Rocky V" came out in late 1990 to poor reviews and disappointing box-office returns.

Legal Problems

Morrison had a number of run-ins with the law. In late 1993, he was charged with public intoxication and assault after allegedly punching a University of Iowa student. Morrison pleaded guilty and paid a fine. Close to three years later, he pleaded guilty to transporting a loaded firearm in Jay, Oklahoma. The year after that, Morrison was convicted on DUI charges related to an accident that injured three people. He was consequently ordered to time in treatment. Morrison faced DUI charges again in 1999, this time on the level of a felony after drugs and firearms were found in his car. While awaiting trial, he was arrested on new charges of intoxication and weapons possession. In early 2000, Morrison was sentenced to two years in prison; he was sentenced to another year in 2002 for violating parole, but was given credit for time previously served.

Personal Life and Death

By the age of 19, Morrison had two children. Later, in 1996, he was married to two women at once, both named Dawn. In 2011, Morrison married his fiancée Trisha.

In 1989, Morrison learned he had contracted HIV after a match with HIV-positive boxer Ricky Nelson. However, he hid the diagnosis until 1996. Morrison claimed he tested negative for the virus four times in early 2007, but his health declined over the subsequent years. On September 1, 2013, he passed away at a hospital in Omaha, Nebraska.

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