Morrison Puts Hiv Worries Behind Him Ex-Heavyweight Tosses Out Medicine, Prefers To Fight Virus His Own Way

Former heavyweight fighter Tommy Morrison looked like a man without a worry Feb. 16 as he walked through Hale Arena signing autographs.

And that might make people wonder what has occurred in the last year.

On Feb. 15, 1996, Morrison choked back tears and told the country he had tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. His comments seemed humble and heartfelt.

Now, Morrison acts as if that day never happened.

“I didn’t even know it was a year ago,” he said last week. “I don’t pay much attention to that date.”

A lot has happened to Morrison since then.

He married his high school sweetheart, Dawn Freeman, on May 18. He returned to the ring Nov. 3 in Japan and knocked out someone named Marcus Rhode in the first round. He stopped taking his medicine.

He nearly stopped talking about HIV.

“I knew things would get better,” Dawn Morrison said last week. “It got better faster than we thought. I don’t think of him being HIV-positive unless somebody brings it up.”

Although he can’t get a boxing license in the United States, Morrison said he might fight again under the right circumstances. For now, he settles for battling those who try to help him fight HIV.

“My last doctor didn’t want to treat me because he said I wouldn’t let him do his job,” Morrison said. “A couple of my doctors are a little frustrated.”

Morrison said he doesn’t like the medicine because of such side effects as nausea, vomiting and kidney stones. He has his own method of fighting the virus, using vitamins and other natural products.

Dr. Elliott Goldstein, director of infectious diseases at KU Medical Center, admits the side effects can be daunting. “There are no free lunches,” he said.

Still, Goldstein said, failure to take the medication causes the disease to come on faster.

Morrison does things his own way.

“You can never say never,” Morrison said about taking the medicine. “But I don’t think I will have a need for it.”

For the moment, Morrison isn’t deeply troubled by this debate.

“My time is so full,” he said. “A lot of things happen for a reason. When I first learned I was HIV-positive, I was in shock. It took eight months to get over the shock.”

A year has passed, and Morrison has other interests these days.

He has a 20-fight deal doing commentary for Fox Sports. He also trains a woman fighter, Brenda Rouse, in Tulsa.

Morrison doesn’t dwell on HIV.

When time permits, he goes to schools and talks to teen-agers and young adults about the kind of lifestyle that can lead to contracting HIV.

“I don’t pull any punches,” Morrison said. “I’m trying to help people.”