STEVE’S SOAPBOX would self-destruct. Tommy was great in camp when it started. He worked hard, but when that was over and the boxing was over, that meant he had time on his hands. “So that’s when the Bentt fight came into play.” Back in that era, boxers were much more active. Morrison fought five times in 1993, after performing six times the previous year. By this stage of his career, he was no longer a developing prospect but a highly marketable heavyweight contender who was making significant money. But he was not beyond taking stay-busy bouts to keep himself sharp and, as Holden noted, out of trouble. Bentt was known for having a solid amateur career but was thought to be a safe choice as cannon fodder for Morrison. Coming into that contest, Bentt’s record was a rather pedestrian 10-1 (5 KOs). “I didn’t pick Bentt, but I think the reason [for picking him] was Bentt had no power,” Holden recalled. Taking place in October 1993, the bout came just two months after the Tomashek fight. This was about keeping Morrison preoccupied before the Lewis showdown. “Money had nothing to do with it – I mean, even though there was a good payday,” said Holden, who now resides in Bali. “HBO picked it up. I put it in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Bob Arum was the promoter, but I set up the fights.” Morrison, like Mike Tyson, was managed by Bill Cayton, who, during his association as Tyson’s co-manager alongside the late Jim Jacobs, believed that a busy boxer was one that stayed out of harm’s way. “[Cayton] never let anything go and never knew when to be cautious,” recalled Arum, whose company featured Morrison a multitude of times on ESPN on his way up the ladder. “He asked us to do a fight for Tommy prior to him doing this big, big fight with Lennox Lewis.” While it was a tune-up bout, this was still part of a high-profile event that also featured James Toney vs. Tony Thornton in front of a sizable throng that came
Morrison’s capitulation against Bentt cost him millions of dollars.
out to see Morrison. As the fight was being previewed by HBO, Larry Merchant said these rather ominous words to Jim Lampley: “[Lewis’] people can’t understand why this fight is happening. After all, this is the year in which two heavyweights who had a chance to make big money in title fights, Ray Mercer and Alex Garcia, both lost to potential ‘setups.’” Mercer was upset by Jesse Ferguson with a title shot looming versus Riddick Bowe, while Garcia squandered his opportunity to face George Foreman by getting stopped in two by Mike Dixon. “But Tommy Morrison himself wants this fight,” continued Merchant. “I think he thinks he has to beat a fighter like this to prove to himself he can take on a boxer like Lennox Lewis. But there are a lot of nervous people here, and we’ve seen stranger things happen.” As the fight began, Morrison marched forward and immediately backed up Bentt along the ropes, where he buzzed him early on. But to his credit, Michael bent but he did not break. It was a sharp right off the ropes that first stunned Morrison, eventually leading to the first knockdown. Morrison never truly recovered and he was sent down two more times. Referee Danny Campbell had no choice but to
wave off the fight. “I was completely stunned. It was a fight that we didn’t want to do,” stated Arum. “We vehemently opposed that fight taking place, because you never know. You had a huge payday – why jeopardize it? But Cayton was a ‘genius.’” Left to pick up the pieces was Holden. According to him, “Everybody left [Morrison]. It was just me and [trainer] Tom Vergets.” Instead of fighting for $8 million, Morrison’s next bout was for $60,000 in Biloxi, Mississippi, with Tui Toia. But the truth of the matter is that Morrison was never quite the same guy. Regardless, his career marched forward. “I learned to keep pushing on,” said Holden. “And guess what? We ended up getting the Lennox Lewis fight.” Morrison would get halted in six rounds by Lewis in October 1995, but for significantly less money than originally planned. Again, credit to Parker for getting out there, but the reality is that all losses have consequences.
18 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
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