So the boxing world will watch with interest to see how this latest bid by Morrison (48-3-1, 42 KOs) to enter the ring, for an otherwise meaningless six-round bout with a neophyte professional named Eric Barrak (3-0, 2 KOs), plays out in Montreal. The Quebec boxing commission is requiring Morrison to take still another blood test to ascertain to its satisfaction, as Morrison has loudly proclaimed in recent years, that he is HIV-free and that the HIV-positive test result he received before a scheduled Feb. 10, 1996, bout with Arthur "Stormy" Weathers, at Las Vegas' MGM Grand, was incorrect. If he can't convince commission doctors that his blood is uninfected, he's off the Feb. 25 oldies card at the Charbonneau Centre, which also features former WBO heavyweight champion Ray Mercer (36-7-1, 26 KOs), who turns 50 on April 4 and hasn't been in a boxing ring since September 2008, and Joe Gatti (30-8, 22 KOs), the 43-year-old brother of the late Arturo Gatti, and who hasn't fought since 2002.
If it weren't for the drama and legitimate medical issues raised by Morrison's possible involvement, the lineup of bouts put together by a startup company called SP Promotion would be in equal parts laughable and sad.
"Boxing's boring," said Jean-Marc Emond, director of operations for SP Promotions. "The tail's wagging the dog. We have great fighters, but we're not giving great fights to the people. I think people want to see real fights. They want names they know and people they can relate to."
Great fights? Mercer's opponent is Stephane Tessier (3-26-1, 1 KO), who is no kid at 38 and is 0-24-1 in his last 25 outings.
