There is an article up on the site WBN (World Boxing News) and some stuff on FaceBook (Tony Holden, who formerly promoted Tommy and considers him a friend) that argues how late powerhouse Tommy Morrison, who won the WBO heavyweight title in 1993, should at least be on the ballot for The Hall of Fame.
The article, written by Phil Jay, wonders loudly why Tommy has never been eligible for induction (and compares the fact that Morrison has not been on the ballot to the perplexing HOF absence of one Vinny Paz).
It’s a good question. Is Tommy Morrison worthy of going into The International Boxing Hall of Fame?
When we consider Tommy’s ability, his excitement value, and, above all in terms of importance, his wins over quality opposition (after all, there have been many big and exciting punchers in boxing, none of whom were HOF material simply because they never managed to defeat an elite foe) – we see that “The Duke” may well be up to scratch.
Consider:
Morrison scored wins over George Foreman (a Hall of Famer), Donovan “Razor” Ruddock, Carl Williams, Joe Hipp (one heck of a slugfest), and a faded James Tillis and Pinklon Thomas.
Two of these wins stand out, of course. Morrison defeated “Big George,” winning the WBO heavyweight belt in the process, with Tommy using lots of movement, skill, and brains to be one step ahead of Foreman most of the way, while when a big shot got through, Morrison took it well. Tommy also engaged in one of the most incredible heavyweight wars of the 1990s, littered as it was with knockdowns and switching momentums. The big win over Ruddock, which came in 1995, really earns Morrison points here.
Or does it?
Consider:
Tommy was the victim of one of the nastiest, most blood-curdling KO’s of the 1990s when Ray Mercer landed a volley of shots as Morrison was defenseless on the ropes. For some, Morrison’s bubble as a good-looking puncher/part-time movie star (‘Rocky V’) and hype job had well and truly burst. Later in his career, Morrison was taken out quickly by Michael Bentt, he got up from two knockdowns to hold Ross Puritty to a draw, and Tommy was stopped in one-sided fashion by Lennox Lewis. But this is cramming all of Tommy’s losses into one place. It should, of course, be pointed out that Morrison, showing real strength of character, came back from the Mercer defeat to battle through some real pain in beating Joe Hipp. While after the Bentt and Puritty struggles, Tommy came back to halt Ruddock.
Add it all up, and yeah, Tommy deserves a place in The Hall. Well, maybe. Certainly, as much as a rough-and-tumble guy like Ricky Hatton deserves to be in. Some fans say the standard of entry into The HOF has dropped or has been lowered over the years. Maybe so. But warriors like Tommy Morrison fought with sheer courage and heart every time out. And that counts for something. At least, it should do.
