Tommy Morrison vs Michael Bentt

Oklahoma’s first world heavyweight title fight lasted 93 seconds. Before a crowd of about 7,200 at the Tulsa Convention Center on October 29, 1993, Michael Bentt, a ten to one outsider, knocked Tommy Morrison down three times and took the World Boxing Organization championship in the opening round. The result ended Morrison’s expected meeting with Lennox Lewis and changed the direction of the heavyweight division.

Morrison entered the contest with a record of 38 wins and one defeat. He had won the vacant WBO title from George Foreman in June and had made one defence against Tim Tomashek in August. He was raised in Jay, Oklahoma, about 90 miles from Tulsa, and had become one of the best known heavyweights in the country. His appearance as Tommy Gunn in the film Rocky V had increased his public profile, while his left hook and willingness to exchange had made him a regular attraction on HBO. A fight with Lewis, the WBC champion, had been discussed for the following spring, with reports of a purse worth 7.5 million dollars to Morrison.

Bentt arrived from New York with ten wins, one defeat and six knockouts. Born in London and raised in New York, he had been a well regarded amateur, but his professional career had moved slowly and he was not expected to trouble the champion. He had lost his first professional bout by a first round knockout in 1988 and had not yet fought for a major title. His purse was reported at 135,000 dollars, a small amount beside the money Morrison expected from Lewis. Top Rank promoted the contest and HBO carried it to a national audience. Referee Danny Campbell was in charge.

Morrison began as though he intended to justify the odds immediately. He crossed the ring and forced Bentt backward, placing him against the ropes within the first half minute. A left hook landed cleanly and Bentt was briefly shaken. Morrison followed with both hands, trying to take advantage of the challenger’s uncertain position. Bentt covered up and absorbed the attack, but he was being pushed around and the crowd believed the contest might end as quickly as it had begun.

The crucial mistake came when Morrison continued punching without first regaining his balance and defensive position. Bentt found room between the champion’s punches and drove a straight right hand to the chin. Morrison’s knees buckled and his expression changed at once. Bentt followed with a fast combination, and Morrison went down for the first time. He rose and answered Campbell’s count, but his legs were unsteady and Bentt did not give him the opportunity to recover.

Bentt was immediately back on him. He drove Morrison toward the ropes and landed another series of punches, with the right hand again doing the principal damage. Morrison fell for the second time only seconds after the first knockdown. He stood, but his movements were no longer controlled. Campbell attempted to keep Bentt from rushing in too recklessly, yet the challenger recognised that Morrison was badly hurt and continued to throw.

The three knockdown rule was in effect. Bentt pressed Morrison to the ropes and landed a further combination, ending with punches to the head that dropped the champion for the third time. Campbell stopped the contest at 1 minute 33 seconds. Morrison was not allowed the chance to continue, and no scorecards were required. Bentt had become the new WBO heavyweight champion.

The Tulsa crowd was silent after the stoppage. Morrison had been expected to win and proceed to a lucrative meeting with Lewis, while Bentt had been regarded as an opponent selected to keep the champion active. Instead, Morrison’s tendency to continue punching after hurting an opponent had worked against him. He had Bentt in difficulty at the start, but he did not use the jab, step away or work to the body before trying to finish. His feet were too square and his chin remained available as he chased the stoppage. Against a calm counterpuncher, that was enough to turn a winning position into defeat.

Bentt had shown more than punching power. He had been hurt, kept his composure and waited for Morrison to become careless. His right hand travelled straight through the centre and his follow up work was fast enough to prevent the champion from clearing his head. The victory raised his record to 11 wins and one defeat and placed him in line for major fights with Lewis, Riddick Bowe or other leading heavyweights. Morrison, meanwhile, lost the title and the planned Lewis contest.

Morrison returned to the ring and won eight fights in succession, including a victory over Donovan Ruddock, before eventually meeting Lewis in 1995 and being stopped in the sixth round. Bentt made only one defence of the WBO title. He lost it to Herbie Hide in March 1994 and suffered serious injuries in that contest, after which he was forced to retire. His reign lasted only a few months, but the victory over Morrison remained one of the sharpest reversals in the heavyweight championship history. It was decided by a single counterpunch, followed by two minutes of disciplined pressure from a man who had entered the ring with very little expected of him.

I remember this as the night the Lennox Lewis payday disappeared in front of Tommy Morrison. Morrison had beaten George Foreman, carried the WBO belt and had become a major attraction after Rocky V, so Michael Bentt was treated as a run-out defence. That was lazy matchmaking thinking. Bentt had been hurt early, but he kept his guard tight and waited for Morrison to overreach.

Morrison did the first forty seconds right, backing Bentt onto the ropes with the left hook and having him in trouble. Then he chased the finish with his chin up, feet square and both hands coming back slowly. Bentt drove the straight right through the middle, dropped him and never allowed him to recover. Two more knockdowns followed before Danny Campbell stopped it at 1:33.

People call it a glass chin defeat, but that misses the real lesson. Morrison was winning when he lost discipline. Bentt’s composure and counterpunching were excellent, rather like a fighter who knew how to survive the first storm and punish the mistake. Morrison wanted the big Lewis fight and fought as if the finish was already guaranteed. Bentt wanted the title and stayed switched on for every second. That is the difference between a prospect and a champion.