When Tommy Morrison Cracked His Opponent’s Face JJ

ONE WE’VE SEEN. >> OH, [screaming] THE RIGHT QUESTIONS ABOUT TOMMY MORRISON’S STAB. ANOTHER LEFT HAND BY HIP MORRISON FROM A MAN WHO’S MORRISON AND THAT HURTS JOE HIP. JOE HIP [cheering] IS IN TROUBLE. >> Took him off balance and was hip leading from the mouth. >> Tommy Morrison has never been past six rounds.

He tired dramatically against Mercer. >> It was June 27th, 1992. Tommy Morrison walked into Bal’s hotel in Reno as the bigger puncher and by far the bigger risk. Eight months earlier, Ray Mercer had knocked him out in five rounds and ended his undefeated run. Morrison responded with four straight knockouts to open 1992.

Standing across from him was Joe Hip, 29 years old, carrying a record of 24-2 and a threeight win streak of his own. Nobody expected much from him that afternoon. The betting line had him at 11 to1. process here. These are two fight. >> One thing about Joe Hippas, you see right away, he is a South Kosa. [cheering] >> You’re referring to Yuri Ballin who he fought back in April of 1991.

That was actually on the Holy Field Foreman undercard. >> Good body punch by Morrison. The left hook up top is his best punch, but his body punch is also and the other thing, Dan, is the you know, everybody. >> Oh, another jab. >> It might work for him at the lower levels of boxing. Well, not at the top. There’s the hook.

might have noticed and seeing Mercer still standing there also that Ray Mercer started to punch back in that fourth round and I think those punches might have had and Joe stay with us >> in the second round here at valleys in Reno >> again more >> which is real dangerous which is real dangerous and is just has to avoid the left he just has here as we move into the second round here >> so much that the doctor or the referee have to stop the fight uh you know he’s not exerting himself He’s not going wild.

>> Morrison and Joe Hip. >> Joe a right to the body there. He came inside with a left hand and got out of the way of Tommy Morrison’s punch coming back. Done much of [cheering] >> after a loss like the mercos. The mental part is perhaps even over the top. One thing that you notice with Joe Hobby, >> when he does jab, which is not >> through the first two rounds, Morrison looked like exactly what the odds said he was, the much bigger puncher, patiently picking his spots while Hip did what he could just to stay standing.

>> Morrison is unscathed for a good reason. Joe Hip has really not landed a a good solid punch effectively the entire fight yet. Very successful. We’re here at 4500 institute at a lower alley. >> Good work inside here. >> But Bill Kaitton the manager Kansas City for the Ray Mercer fight and he hasn’t looked close to being hurt.

>> I thought the best I thought the best puncher Pete Ro trainer. I thought the the worst Joe looked was when Tommy scored a solid punching is nothing new to Joe Hip. He does it with regularity. >> So maybe uh we’re more concerned about it than is he? Yeah, but the >> we want to remind our local ABC stations that at the end of this round, we’re going to take a station break took him off balance and hit was too slow to station.

We begin the fourth round here in Reno, Nevada. I’m Dan Beardorf along with Alex Swallow or ringside for a 10 round heavy with Tommy Morrison who’s on the left of your screen and Joe again. >> And I’m wondering why we bother to put him up from a hand speed. Cory is uh is several notches below top >> very very slowly but he is coming for he is not shown exhibited he show >> Joe Hip is a southpaw fighter and of course facing a right-hander is nothing new there’s a good combination by Joe Hip >> the best sequence of questions about

Tommy MORRISON’S STEP HE’S HARDER ANOTHER LEFT HAND BY HIM AND HE RESPONDED WITH A BIG WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT but Joe Hip you CAN SEE IT IN MORRISON SENSES THAT HE HAS HURT MORRISON and Alex is right look at interesting here in the closing moments of the end of the fourth. We are scheduled for 10 and this has just gotten he has a mouse under >> Joe Hip who really as big as he is is really kind of an arm >> great upper and the first ONE WE’VE SEEN. OH, THE RIGHT TO THE CHIN.

Puts Joe Hip down. 4. [cheering] >> Hip is up. Beats the count. Draculich has a good solid right uppercut and then a RIGHT TO THE CHIN BY MORRISON >> FROM THE MAN WHO’S RIGHT HAND BY HIP. ALEX FROM somebody who’s supposed TO BE A LEFT HOOKER. >> A LITTLE OVER two minutes. >> Busted up in the mouth. >> Yep. Hip bleeding from the mouth.

Oh, Tommy Morris right hand. And Joe Hip better protect himself. >> If he’s got enough left, he looked tired in the fourth. Another hanging on. [cheering] And Tommy Morrison. >> Oh, and off it right now. Looking to get let his tank fill up. >> Morrison had him down and by every read of the room, this should have been over.

Hip got up, but the cheekbone fracture from that knockdown was already done. from exhaustion and it’s a Shami Morris and he is clearly Oh, another left hand from Joe. >> Oh, and another good combination. >> At this point, he’s in a survival mode. His mouth is open for six, >> but Joe. >> Here we come. Six. >> Somewhere in these rounds, [music] Morrison’s hand broke, but he never stopped throwing it.

>> Into the 10th round, seventh round of a professional fight. and >> hook just has not been a factor >> and and remember that early in his career he was just a one punch fight >> and really a thing of beauty just a natural hook fighting I mean the right hands down >> I don’t know clearly Sylvester Stallone and Joe Hip have a different bowl and Joe Hip were both south >> that’s right >> again a reminder that that knee brace on the right leg of Joe Hip school football days and he really wears >> hip coming forward Morrison not throwing

>> a right hand Yeah, a good right hand counter by by Morrison. The left jab comes, >> especially with this could give Tommy Morrison this to his power. >> Well, Tommy Morrison backwards here at the end of the seven. >> By round seven, this had stopped being a mismatch. Morrison was cut and his jaw was hurting and hip was still walking forward.

>> The eighth round pick of my score. I’ve got Tommy Morrison ahead by two poo hip and Tommy Morrison has to find a way to win around him. in the last couple rounds. The stalker and >> to give you an illustration, >> good uppercut by Joe H. >> In the last three years, Tommy, 12 fights of like to remind our local ABC.

>> Oh, good. >> Oh, I’m shiver. Oh, you’re still there. Well, Joe is I mean, is he just kind of then unless Tommy Morrison does get a second or third win or whatever he’s looking for. wide world of sports after a word from our ABC station. >> Going into the ninth, the judges had this fight one point apart either way and whoever had more left in him was going to win it.

>> And of course, Joe Hip and America, a member of the Born, grew up in Yakama, Washington. >> The final price was 11 to1 fight. People just looked at me and said, “This guy doesn’t look like >> there’s John Brown, his co-manager and trainer.” And yes, that is a concerned look.

And you see Joe Hip has definitely swung over Joe Hip in the final minute of the ninth. >> Wide open the mouth of Tommy Morrison. Absolutely exhaust. Got a little bit of snap in the [cheering] >> You can’t fight with your mouth open. Oh, a good right hand BY MORRISON. AND THAT HURTS Joe Hip. JOE HIP IS IN TROUBLE. JOE HIP IS DOWN. [cheering] A RIGHT HAND FROM TOMMY MORRISON. STAGGERS JOE HIP.

[cheering] UP AT 8. THE FIGHT Dracula stops the fight. >> Morrison won by TKO, but neither man left Reno unmarked. He’d gone nine rounds with a broken jaw and a broken hand, while Hip had been fighting on a fractured cheekbone since round five. At the time it ended, the scorecards had it within a single point.

11 months later, Morrison would walk into a ring against a much bigger name, George Foreman, chasing one more title at 44 years old. That fight is