Source: Morrison Has HIV

Heavyweight Tommy Morrison was informed Saturday by the Nevada State Athletic Commission that he tested positive for HIV, a source told The Times.

Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, would say only that Morrison had been “medically suspended” at 1 p.m. Saturday, about six hours before his scheduled 10-round fight against Arthur Weathers at the MGM Grand Hotel.

“At this time, he [Morrison] is suspended around the world,” Ratner said.

Nevada commission officials, by law, cannot release information on positive tests for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Spokesmen for Morrison would neither confirm nor deny the report of the positive HIV result.

Morrison immediately caught a flight back to his Oklahoma home and was unavailable for comment.

But, according to his trainer, Tommy Virgets, Morrison, upon being informed of the action by commission officials, said, “You all handle this. This is the kind of crap that ruins boxing. If they are not going to let me box, send me home.”

While not conceding anything about the test results, Virgets said, “If Tommy never boxes another day in his life, we certainly still want to make sure he’s OK.”

Another source said that Morrison was scheduled to take an AIDS test Wednesday, but refused. He subsequently took the test Thursday.

According to Ratner, HIV results are available within 48 hours. Ratner said commission officials received the information that caused them to order the suspension at noon Saturday.

“We haven’t talked to the doctor,” said Tommy Holden, Morrison’s manager. “If there is a problem, we will re-test. . . . Let’s give Tommy a few days. Right now, he is confused. He is going to find out what’s going on. We feel Tommy has a bright future in boxing.”

Holden said that, as of Saturday night, he was still planning to put Morrison on the undercard of the Mike Tyson-Frank Bruno fight March 16 at the MGM Grand.

“Everyone has their speculation, but that’s all it is,” Virgets said. “Tommy was ready to go and he is frustrated as hell.”

Fighters are required by Nevada law to take an AIDS test the first time they fight in the state in the calendar year. Morrison’s last appearance in Las Vegas was in June 1993 when he won a 12-round decision over George Foreman.

That was the most memorable victory in the eight-year career of the 27-year-old Morrison, who is 45-3-1 with 39 knockouts.

The other fights he is best known for were staged for movie cameras as part of Morrison’s role in “Rocky V.”

The only title Morrison won was the World Boxing Organization heavyweight crown, which he took from Foreman but subsequently lost to Michael Bentt on a first-round knockout four months later.

Morrison’s last fight was in October, when he was knocked out by Lennox Lewis in Atlantic City, N.J.

Six other fighters are known to have tested positive for HIV. They are Proud Kilimanjaro, Paul Banke, Lamar Parks, Esteban DeJesus, Ruben Palacios and a boxer who was later discovered to be fighting under a phony name.

Boxing Notes

Felix Trinidad defended his International Boxing Federation welterweight title in Saturday night’s main event at the MGM Grand, improving his record to 28-0 with 24 knockouts by scoring a fourth-round TKO over Rodney Moore (37-10-2). Moore went down twice in the fourth round and the fight was stopped as he sat in his corner awaiting the start of the fifth. . . . Trinidad’s purse was $750,000, Moore’s $100,000. . . . Christy Martin scored a third-round TKO over Sue Chase in the first nationally televised women’s match. The fight was stopped 27 seconds into the third round of the scheduled six-rounder, increasing Martin’s record to 33-2-2 with 24 knockouts. Chase is 17-4. . . . Heavyweight Orlin Norris (44-4-1, 25 knockouts) scored a sixth-round TKO over Cleveland Woods (13-8, 10 knockouts).