Tommy Morrison vs. Tim Tomashek
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'''[[Tommy Morrison]] vs. Tim Tomashek''', billed as '''''Bringing It Home''''', was a professional boxing match contested on August 30, 1993, for the [[World Boxing Organization|WBO]] heavyweight |
'''[[Tommy Morrison]] vs. Tim Tomashek''', billed as '''''Bringing It Home''''', was a professional boxing match contested on August 30, 1993, for the [[World Boxing Organization|WBO]] heavyweight title.{{cite web |title=Tommy Morrison vs. Tim Tomashek |url=https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Tommy_Morrison_vs._Tim_Tomashek |website=boxrec.com |publisher=BoxRec |access-date=31 July 2024}} Morrison's original opponent [[Mike Williams (boxer)|Mike Williams]], who had appeared opposite Morrison in the film ''[[Rocky V]]'', withdrew from the fight only 90 minutes before it was scheduled to take place. Rather than cancel the event, the promoters of the event selected journeyman Tim Tomashek as a last minute replacement. |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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On June 7, 1993, Tommy Morrison defeated [[George Foreman]] by unanimous decision to capture the vacant WBO heavyweight |
On June 7, 1993, Tommy Morrison defeated [[George Foreman]] by unanimous decision to capture the vacant WBO heavyweight title.[https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/08/sports/boxing-morrison-defeats-foreman-by-decision.html Morrison Defeats Foreman By Decision], NY Times article, 1993-06-08 Retrieved on 2024-07-26 For his first title defense, Morrison was matched up against Mike Williams, whom had co-starred with Morrison in ''Rocky V''. In the film, Morrison's character Tommy Gunn defeated Williams character Union Cane to capture the heavyweight championship. Though Williams sported a fairly impressive 21–3 record, he was not regarded as top heavyweight contender as most of his wins had come against marginal competition, aside from a sole notable knockout win over former title challenger [[James Tillis]], and his three losses had come when he stepped up in class. Nevertheless, Morrison and Williams' appearance in ''Rocky V'' added some luster and intrigue to the fight and sports giant [[ESPN]] decided to broadcast the bout nationally and powerful boxing promoter [[Bob Arum]]'s [[Top Rank]] handled promotional duties.[https://tulsaworld.com/archive/morrison-williams-fight-on-espn-shapes-up-as-rocky-v-rematch/article_f200baf4-554a-5cfb-9704-7fe6d32b26f5.html Morrison-Williams Fight on ESPN Shapes Up as ''Rocky V'' Rematch], Tulsa World article, 1993-08-27 Retrieved on 2024-07-28 Morrison was taking a risk, as he had already agreed in principle to an $8,000,000 deal to face [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis. Williams' manager Bob Jordan criticized Morrison's decision to fight despite having secured a lucrative title shot stating "I think Tommy's people made a terrible mistake. He has a tremendous amount to lose if we win this fight. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain."[https://tulsaworld.com/archive/morrison-williams-arent-acting-this-time/article_2796c802-c22e-53fb-bdc9-718556e45a0d.html Morrison, Williams Aren't Acting This Time], Tulsa World article, 1993-08-31 Retrieved on 2024-07-28 |
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Concern arose when Williams no-showed a pre-fight press conference, leading to Arum, whom did not want to jeopardize the event, to bring in Tomashek as a precaution should Williams be unable or unwilling to face Morrison come fight time. Williams did in fact arrive to venue, but around 90 minutes before the main event was to begin, Williams decided not to submit a mandatory pre-fight drug test and remained in his limousine, effectively withdrawing from the fight.[https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/03/sports/boxing-once-again-boxing-world-is-hiding-behind-sunglasses.html Once Again, Boxing World Is Hiding Behind Sunglasses], NY Times article, 1993-09-03 Retrieved on 2024-07-28 Williams initially said that a back injury was the reason why he would not fight, but two physicians found no signs of injury and his manager Jordan rebuked Williams' injury claim stating to the media "The official word is Mike turned yellow and left. He said he pulled a muscle in his back. We had two doctors check him out and they could not find an injury. His wife said there's nothing wrong with him." Williams, whom eventually returned to the arena to watch the fight, refused to answer questions as to why he pulled out but denied a drug test was the cause simply stating "Don't even bring that up. I don't do drugs."[https://www.deseret.com/1993/8/31/19063674/wbo-champ-morrison-wins-weird-fight/ WBO CHAMP MORRISON WINS WEIRD FIGHT], Associated Press article, 1993-08-31 Retrieved on 2024-07-28 Arum had, after demands from Williams, increased his $17,500 purse to $30,000 plus $12,500 addition for expenses, but Williams still refused to fight.[https://tulsaworld.com/archive/morrison-scores-a-tko-over-backup/article_4c6faa78-0874-5fb4-a73f-9eca6c4b9481.html Morrison Scores a TKO Over Backup], Tulsa World article, 1993-08-31 Retrieved on 2024-07-28 |
Concern arose when Williams no-showed a pre-fight press conference, leading to Arum, whom did not want to jeopardize the event, to bring in Tomashek as a precaution should Williams be unable or unwilling to face Morrison come fight time. Williams did in fact arrive to venue, but around 90 minutes before the main event was to begin, Williams decided not to submit a mandatory pre-fight drug test and remained in his limousine, effectively withdrawing from the fight.[https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/03/sports/boxing-once-again-boxing-world-is-hiding-behind-sunglasses.html Once Again, Boxing World Is Hiding Behind Sunglasses], NY Times article, 1993-09-03 Retrieved on 2024-07-28 Williams initially said that a back injury was the reason why he would not fight, but two physicians found no signs of injury and his manager Jordan rebuked Williams' injury claim stating to the media "The official word is Mike turned yellow and left. He said he pulled a muscle in his back. We had two doctors check him out and they could not find an injury. His wife said there's nothing wrong with him." Williams, whom eventually returned to the arena to watch the fight, refused to answer questions as to why he pulled out but denied a drug test was the cause simply stating "Don't even bring that up. I don't do drugs."[https://www.deseret.com/1993/8/31/19063674/wbo-champ-morrison-wins-weird-fight/ WBO CHAMP MORRISON WINS WEIRD FIGHT], Associated Press article, 1993-08-31 Retrieved on 2024-07-28 Arum had, after demands from Williams, increased his $17,500 purse to $30,000 plus $12,500 addition for expenses, but Williams still refused to fight.[https://tulsaworld.com/archive/morrison-scores-a-tko-over-backup/article_4c6faa78-0874-5fb4-a73f-9eca6c4b9481.html Morrison Scores a TKO Over Backup], Tulsa World article, 1993-08-31 Retrieved on 2024-07-28 |
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