Ultimately, Morrison’s Past Deprived Him of His Future

Tommy Virgets, trainer of Tommy Morrison, has seen his fighter’s face bloodied, bruised and battered. He has seen Morrison stunned and shattered by knockouts at the hands of Michael Bentt and Lennox Lewis.

But none of that can compare to the expression Virgets saw on Morrison’s face last Saturday when Virgets and Tony Holden, Morrison’s manager, told the fighter that he had tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

That expression is one Virgets will never forget.

It had been a routine fight day for Morrison. Scheduled to face Arthur Weathers at about 7 p.m. Saturday at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Hotel, Morrison went out to go to church, get a bite to eat and walk around the hotel grounds.

Although he was coming off a loss in his last fight, knocked out in the sixth round last October by Lewis, Morrison felt that, at 27, his career was about to take off.

He had recently signed with promoter Don King.

King is Mike Tyson’s promoter and, for every heavyweight, Tyson is still the ultimate opponent.

True, four years away from the fight game, including three in prison after being convicted of rape, may have taken some of the luster off Tyson, who does not hold a title.

But with such champions as Frank Bruno, Bruce Seldon and Frans Botha lined up for Tyson this year, Tyson figures to be the undisputed champion before 1996 is over.

Fighting him still means the biggest payday. And defeating him would still mean instant credibility.

Morrison was on track to become Tyson’s opponent after the three chump champs, and he might have been eyeing a purse as high as $4 million.

After eight years of battling for recognition, Morrison felt, as he walked around Las Vegas that day, that it was finally within reach of his gloved fists.

Could Morrison beat Tyson? Probably not.

But at least it looked as if Morrison would get his chance.

Until the call came to Holden’s suite at the MGM Grand.

It was 2 p.m. Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, wanted Holden and Virgets down at ringside. Immediately.

They had no idea what he wanted, but this was certainly unusual.

Ratner, somber-faced, didn’t waste any words when they got there.

“Look,” he said, “there is no easy way to say this. Tommy has failed his medical exam.”

Virgets says he knew, without being told any more, what that meant.

The trainer asked if Morrison’s blood had been run through a second time to make sure the test was accurate.

Ratner assured him that it had been. The results of the test administered to Morrison on Thursday had first been received late Friday. The results of a second test had been sent to Ratner at noon on Saturday.

Ratner asked Holden and Virgets to inform Morrison.

At 3:30, the fighter walked into Holden’s suite.

“Tommy,” Holden said, “there is not going to be a fight tonight. You have tested positive for HIV.”

Morrison’s reaction is forever imprinted in Virgets’ mind.

“It was like he was hit in the stomach,” Virgets said. “It was like somebody dropped him and the wind went out of his sails.”

Finally, Morrison spoke.

“There has got to be something wrong,” he said. “What can we do about this?”

They did what they could.

“We told him that the only chance was if the blood had been contaminated or had been mixed up with somebody else’s,” Virgets said.

Morrison was quickly ushered onto a plane and sent home to Jay, Okla., where he underwent his own tests, which confirmed the Nevada results.

Was Virgets concerned for himself?

“It’s hysteria more than reality,” said Virgets, who insists he is not worried about his own health. “I work with him every day. I work with him when he is cut. We have bled on each other numerous times. He hit me once and put my teeth through my mouth. But I don’t think the contact in boxing is long enough or severe enough. I think it’s overkill.”

Virgets says he is confident that, with advances in knowledge and research and drugs, boxing will not always be menaced by the shadow of HIV.

“One day,” he said, “I think you will see boxers continue to fight with HIV.”

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Virgets calls his fighter a “bimbo magnet.”

Morrison is very frank about what he feels is the most likely way he contracted HIV, citing his promiscuous lifestyle. But it was Virgets and Holden who supplied some of the details.

Virgets said that after Morrison, who also dabbled in acting with a major role in “Rocky V,” would attend autograph sessions, the fighter would give Virgets 15 or 20 notes he had been slipped as his fans filed past him.

“There were names, addresses and phone numbers of women,” Virgets said, “along with some messages I couldn’t repeat.”

Holden said Morrison, who now has a fiancee, had tried to reform but had found it difficult.

“He would always say he was changing, but he had a hard time with it,” Holden said. “He was trying to get his life in order. He was going to church more. But he figured, those times when the discipline was off, when he was off the wagon, he might as well go all the way.”

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Boxing Notes

North American Boxing Organization welterweight champion Luis Ramon “Yory Boy” Campas (63-1, 56 knockouts) will defend his title on March 4 at the Forum against Ray Collins (16-7-1, four KOs). The fight was originally scheduled for earlier this month but was postponed when Campas came down with flu. Campas, whose only loss was to International Boxing Federation champion Felix Trinidad, has an impressive record. But perhaps the most impressive part is that he has already had 64 fights at the age of 24. . . . Trading places: Campas used to be the star attraction at the Olympic Auditorium. Lightweight Jorge Paez was a featured performer for Forum boxing. Now Campas has come over to the Forum and Paez made his second appearance in three months at the Olympic on Thursday night.

Forum officials are trying to set up a pay-per-view doubleheader for May 5. The first fight would feature World Boxing Organization junior-featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera, who knocked out Kennedy McKinney earlier this month at the Forum in the 12th round of a memorable fight that included six knockdowns and two that should have been called. Barrera’s opponent for the pay-per-view card has not been determined. The other fight would be a rematch of another great Forum bout, pitting World Boxing Council light-flyweight champion Saman Sorjaturong against Chiquita Gonzalez. Sorjaturong upset Gonzalez last summer with a seventh-round knockout.