Luci Williams

The boxing world is mourning the passing of Tommy “The Duke” Morrison (48-3-1, 42 KOs), former Heavyweight champion of the world.

Morrison died Sunday night at a Nebraska hospital according to Tony Holden, his longtime promoter and close friend (per Dave Skretta of AP News).

Morrison possessed speed and power and was certainly a fan favorite in his fighting prime. Ring TV recently rated Morrison No. 3 on their 10 Best Left Hookers of all time, behind only Pipino Cuevas and Joe Frazier.

Round By Round Boxing would like to celebrate the memory of Morrison by taking a look at his five best fights ever.

[tps_header]5. Tommy Morrison vs. Harry Terrell[/tps_header]

Tommy Morrison scored a number of quick knockouts in his boxing career. His knockout of Harry Terrell is one of the most visually impressive ones.

While Morrison possessed one of the greatest left hooks of all time, in this bout, it was a devastating right hand which crumbled his opponent to the canvas.

Before the bout, Harry Terrell had stated that he had “come here to fight” and while it lasted, he tried. Unfortunately for Terrell, Morrison’s colossal power changed the bout in an instant.

[tps_header] 4. Tommy Morrison vs. James Tillis[/tps_header]

In his first fight back after starring in Rocky V with Sylvester Stallone, Tommy Morrison took on James “Quick” Tillis.

This fight shows Morrison in vintage form as he put Tillis into immediate survival mode after landing the first powerful left hook.

Though not “Quick” in this fight, Tillis was certainly tough. He got up twice off the canvas before succumbing to Morrison’s last big left hook.

[tps_header] 3. Tommy Morrison vs. Pinklon Thomas[/tps_header]

In 1991, a young, hungry Tommy Morrison—25-0, 21 KOs at the time—took on a past his prime Pinklon Thomas in hopes of proving that he was indeed a serious threat in the Heavyweight division.

Morrison showed some vintage bob-and-weave movement and landed some big shots on Thomas, prompting the ex-Heavyweight champion to quit on his stool after just the first round.

[tps_header] 2. Tommy Morrison vs. George Foreman[/tps_header]

In 1993, Tommy Morrison fought George Foreman for the vacant WBO Heavyweight title. Morrison won a hard-fought bout by unanimous decision and proved himself to be a legit contender.

According to Dave Skretta of the AP, the big win was supposed to setup Morrison for a $7.5 million payday against Lennox Lewis, but only two fights later, Morrison would lose by devastating first-round knockout to unknown Heavyweight, Michael Bentt.

[tps_header] 1. Tommy Morrison vs. Razor Ruddick[/tps_header]

A classic back-and-forth brawl, Tommy Morrison showed his desire and will to win as he got up from a first-round knockdown to come back and score a sixth-round TKO victory over Razor Ruddock.

Morrison’s vintage left hook is on display in the sixth and final round as he catches Ruddock coming in trying to unleash his own big left.