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

Morrison was deemed to have a more powerful punch than Tyson.

Believe it or not, there was a boxer in the 90s that was considered to have a more powerful punch than Mike Tyson himself – but his story ended in tragedy.

Tommy ‘The Duke’ Morrison was regarded by many as one of 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 were keen to see Morrison, who also famously starred in Rocky V as Tommy Gunn, come up against 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.

Mike Tyson training with pads ahead of Jake Paul fight
Credit: @IfnBoxing via X

0 seconds of 11 secondsVolume 90%

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.

Things got worse in 1997 when 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. He was then arrested on charges of intoxication and possession of a weapon.

Morrison was deemed to have a more powerful punch than Mike Tyson. Image credit: Getty

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 sadly passed away at the age of 44. At the time of his death he was unable to move unaided.