Tragic story of forgotten 1990s boxer who had more knockout power than Mike Tyson

In the Nineties there was a boxer considering to have a more powerful punch than the legendary Mike Tyson, but his story ended in tragedy.

Tommy ‘The Duke’ Morrison was among the most impressive fighters of his generation, having recorded a series of eye-catching victories against the likes of George Foreman and Donovan ‘Razor’ Ruddock.

Many wanted Morrison, who also famously starred in Rocky V as Tommy Gunn, to take on Tyson in the ring, however the fight never materialised.

But the Arkansas-born fighter, best known for his thunderous left hook, saw his career spiral drastically upon testing positive for HIV in 1996.

The diagnosis saw him banned indefinitely from his sport by the Nevada Athletic Commission, just before he was due to fight Arthur Weathers.

While Morrison and his wife campaigned against the ban, claiming the result was a false positive, the ruling was upheld across the entire sport, ultimately causing an abrupt end to the fighter's career.

In 1997 things got worse as Morrison was convicted of driving under the influence after an incident left three people injured. He was ordered to spend time in rehab.

Two years later, Morrison was given a two-year suspended sentence after being caught driving under the influence once more.

Morrison was deemed to have a more powerful punch than Mike Tyson (Getty)

He was then arrested on charges of intoxication and possession of a weapon.

At the turn of the millennium, ESPN reported that the former fighter bought a cave which he slept in after becoming convinced that the world was going to end in the year 2000.

While the world was not struck by apocalypse, Morrison was ultimately sentenced to two years imprisonment for the aforementioned drugs and weapons charges, while he received an additional year for violating parole.

By the time he was released, his health had started to deteriorate.

Morrison did try to resurrect his boxing career but that was to no avail and in 2013, he passed away at the age of 44. At the time of his death he was unable to move unaided.

Topics: Boxing, Mike Tyson

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.