Former heavyweight champion boxer and actor Tommy Morrison died on Sunday night at the age of 44.
TMZ says Morrison had been in the hospital for several months battling an illness. He died in a Nebraska hospital with his wife by his side.
Morrison went 48-3-1 in his professional boxing career. Most of his fights took place prior to 1996, which is when he was informed he tested positive for HIV. The Nevada Athletic Commission suspended Morrison from boxing after the positive tests, which essentially ended his fighting career.
Later in life, Morrison expressed an interest in resuming his fighting career. He said he no longer had HIV and denied the existence of the previous positive tests. Morrison reportedly was tested for HIV multiple times in 2007 and all of them were negative. He fought two more times and won both bouts.
One of Morrison’s best moments as a pro came in 1993 when he beat Geerge Foreman to win the WBO heavyweight title and improve his record to 37-1. Morrison’s first professional loss came against Ray Mercer in 1991. His last loss came in 1996 to Lennox Lewis, who was one of the best heavyweights of the decade.
Morrison developed a reputation as a knockout artist — he won by knockout in 44 of his 49 victories. He also was well known for playing Tommy Gunn in “Rocky V,” alongside Sylvester Stallone.
Morrison had numerous legal issues throughout his life including charges for assault, DUI, gun and drug possessions, which led to him spending time in prison.
MMA Dirt says Morrison died of Miller Fisher Syndrome/Guillain Barre Syndrome. The cause of death was said to be respiratory and metabolic acidosis and multiple organ failure
