Morrisons licencee was revoked after this fight. Imagine praising someone for beating a guy who was riddled with the aids. Lewis didn't look so good against Holyfield. who was faded.
Morrison’s best win was two years earlier. He was KOd in one round after that. He was dropped and on the verge of being stopped by washed up Ruddock. He had AIDS. I don’t consider this a prime Morrison. Lewis beats him at any point regardless.
Scraping by a washed up Ruddock with the ref's help was arguably the best win of his career, and, at worst, second best. He had asymptomatic HIV, not AIDS, and had the same weight and build for all of his prime fights. The past prime thing, which I'm just now hearing about, is revisionist nonsense because people like Tommy for some reason; in reality, he was one of the most revolting people to ever turn pro.
He didn't have the AIDS, he was HIV positive - and no one knows how long he'd been infected. As the HBO graphics showed after he made his entrance against Lewis, Morrison had been dropped & hurt every year since '91. Standard procedure. He just wasn't a top fighter and if anything was sticking more ROIDS in his arse by '95.
I agree the referee did help him. Ruddock actually won the fight with a bodypunch that folded Morrison. The pro Morrison crowd booed so the referee decided it must have been low. Then the stoppage was weak. Im sure Tommy was about to fall over from throwing so many pity pat force. Left alone Ruddock probably outlasts him.