How big was the Tommy Morrison bubble?

Just another Great White Hope/Hype. A lot of people believed in him, but then again tons of people believed in Gerry Cooney just a few years earlier.

 

Tommy was a massive puncher and let's be honest he lost to a good fighter in Mercer, no shame at all in that loss IMO. if people thought Tyson had spectacular knockouts coming through the ranks then go look at Morrison's, Mikes don't come close I'm afraid.

 

Morrison had a huge quick left hook. That's it. He was also a horrificly Roided up fighter.

 

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Cooney though was still relatively unknown outside of boxing circles but Morrison had the advantage of having starred in a major role in Rocky 5 even though it was the worst of all the Rocky films. People were curious whether he could become Hwt champ for real just like he did in the movie. Plus the rumour that Morrison was the great nephew of Hollywood legend, John Wayne undoubtedly helped to raise his profile and following in his early boxing career.

 

Cooney had already been on the cover of Time and Sports Illustrated and was an A-list celebrity in New York, regularly hanging out with Stallone and others celebs. He was fighting Larry Holmes, who was way better known (and rightly so) than Mercer. And it was shown on PPV, then HBO, then ABC. Cooney vs. Holmes was a HUGE event. Morrison getting a title shot was so small time compared to Holmes vs. Cooney. Cooney was way better known than Morrison.

 

Morrison was a definite force but had major flaws with his chin and stamina. His skills were undeniable and but he was a wild card. Every fight he was scheduled for was exiting because you never knew what was gonna happen.

He could crack and had great combinations, but everyone knew he could just as easily get koed by his opponent. He was a legitimate challenger but a great deal of fighters of the era knew they could win as well.

 

I actually felt Morrison might be the best of the bunch, and the first 4 rounds against Mercer sorta proved it. I mean he was dropping guys like they were shot dead. Collapsing. Unfortunately his chin was never tested. Morrison was up there with Bowe, Mercer, Lewis, Moorer, and Seldon as the future of the division.

Side note: I remember the weekend of Holyfield-Foreman featured most of the division's future in action. I might mix up some dates here so bare with me. Bowe squeaked by Tubbs, Mercer got lucky against Damiani, Moorer looked less than stellar in his heavyweight debut, Morrison was struggling immensely against Russian Yuri Vaulin and Seldon straight up lost to Oliver McCall.

Side note 2: I also remember Mercer-Morrison was to take place a few months earlier than it did. I'm not sure what exactly happened but I think Morrison pulled out and was replaced by Bowe. Then Mercer pulled out and replaced by Bruce Seldon.

 

Morrison was a good fighter, just not good enough to make it to the top five. He could punch, he had heart, he tried really hard, had a decent chin, always came into a fight in shape. Morrison's biggest issue was he could never relax during a fight, always filled with anxiety, burning up his fuel tank.

I wouldn't say his bubble was burst, as he was around for a while, and after crushing defeats he seemed to always have a successful comeback.

 

Outside of the money that could be raked in from desperate white fans, Morrison was not taken seriously as a heavyweight threat. He had a pretty hook but it never KO'd a relevant heavyweight and he partied like Keith Richards in a blender.

 

Morrison put Miami, OK on the map with some exciting USA/ESPN grade fights. Plus he left a bunch of Northeast OK & Missouri women "smiling" during his climb to big-time bouts.

 

In comparison Cooney was one of the hottest fighters in a weaker era... Morrison was just one of a bunch of hot talent era