Morrison to meet Commission

By Dave Spencer / Fightnews Canada

Former heavyweight world champion Tommy Morrison meets with Quebec Boxing Commission (RACJ) Friday morning at 11:00am to discuss his potential licensing for a pending bout in Montreal scheduled for February 25th versus Eric Barrak (3-0). According to Jean-Marc Emond of SP Promotions, Commission head Michel Hamelin has asked for a blood test but has agreed to sit down with the first time promoter and discuss the situation and look at the evidence of previous medicals.

“Why can’t we be the same as everyone else?” asked Emond wondering why the bar had been raised for his fighter. “Show us proof if anything is wrong and you require further medicals, show us proof from Nevada and the tests done there, we spent three months looking for it and couldn’t come up with anything.”

Fightnews contacted the Nevada State Athletic Commission and spoke to Executive Director Keith Kizer who walked through a thorough history of Tommy Morrison and the process of obtaining a license. “It is the fighter’s responsibility to submit all tests for the processing of their license,” said Kizer. “That includes, as it did in 1996, a negative test for HIV and hepatitis.” The Director explained that the Commission or Government has no right to know if you’re positive and that you’re free to keep that information to yourself but to fight in Nevada they must know that you are indeed negative.

“I wasn’t Director at the time but I do know that Tommy Morrison did not turn in a negative test on his initial application, I believe he cited religious reasons of not drawing blood at the time, which is fine, it just means that he doesn’t get licensed. “A day or two before the fight Mr. Morrison contracted APL, which has since been bought out by Quest Diagnostics to provide the testing. They weren’t allowed to give us results, but they contacted us to tell us they could not provide us with the negative test we were looking for. All we could do is go to the press at the time and say that licensing process was not completed; I believe it Tommy Morrison who came out the next day in a press conference and told the world he had HIV.”

Kizer, as did Tim Lueckenhoff of the Association of Boxing Commissions earlier this week, explained that Boxing Commissions really aren’t interested in positive tests and Kizer said that whatever tests that do exist are strictly between Morrison and his medical provider of choice, Quest Diagnostics. “He asked for his complete file in 2006 when he was trying to get licensed in West Virginia, we gave it to him but there was no test in there.”

The only thing the Commission has changed over the years is changing his status from “Suspended” to “License Denied”. “We couldn’t suspend him became he never obtained a valid license to suspend,” said Kizer. “With a denial he is free to go about trying to obtain a license in any other jurisdiction that he wants if they’re willing to give it to him.”

‘The Duke’ did in fact apply to Nevada last year for licensing but that application was put on hold pending further testing according to Kizer. “The file is incomplete, we can’t force anybody to give us information or tests that we require, it just stays as pending or incomplete until they do.” The Director also explained that since licensing is done by calendar year, a new application for 2011 would have to be presented if the matter were to be pursued.

Part of the evidence that Morrison and Emond will be presenting to the Quebec Commission is a letter from the Butler County Health Department in Augusta Kansas that was obtained by Fightnews dated February 23rd 2010 that 5cc of blood was drawn from Tom Morrison on January 23rd of that year and placed in a mailer to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in Topeka. A report of a negative HIV from The Department in Topeka is also included in the documentation.

“Let’s get to the truth,” says Emond, “If it’s on, it’s on. We just ask if you’re raising the bar for Tommy Morrison that you raise it for everybody. I give my best to my fighters and I give one hundred percent, I think Tommy Morrison has been a victim in the past we want to be there for him.”

Emond did expect any definitive results from the meeting immediately with the licensing process only beginning. Fightnews had reported earlier this week that his claims of being licensed in New Zealand were refuted by NZPBA secretary Pat Leonard.

It was pointed out to Fightnews that Morrison had expressed interest in being licensed by NZNBF, a rival Kiwi group that also licenses boxers. President Gary McCrystal told Fightnews by telephone while inquiries have been made to his group, nothing has been finalized. “It would be subject to him doing the proper medicals. We agreed to look at the documentation and we would look hard and very seriously at it. If all is in order, we would love to have a fighter like Tommy Morrison fight in New Zealand, but we would have to look at any suspensions and reasons why like we would with any other fighter.”

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January 14th, 2011

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