Tommy Gunn
Encyclopedia
Tommy Gunn is a fictional character
that appeared as Rocky Balboa's protégé in the 1990 boxing film Rocky V
. He is portrayed by real life boxer Tommy Morrison
.
. Gunn came from a dysfunctional family
where is alcoholic father frequently abused Tommy and his mother. One day when Tommy got in trouble at school, his father beat him so badly, he couldn't walk for a week. When Tommy got older, he was able to stand up to his dad and claimed his father was the first person he ever knocked out, possibly starting an interest in boxing for Tommy. Tommy Gunn traveled to Philadelphia to seek out a down-and-out Rocky Balboa, hoping for a chance to be taught boxing from the man himself. Tommy Gunn had an amateur record of 45-1-0.
Tommy took Rocky up on his offer and came to his gym. Tommy was paired up with a sparring partner and insisted he didn't need headgear. Tommy's partner was beating him at first, but once Tommy got angry, he unloaded a vicious attack of punches on his partner and didn't stop until Rocky and Paulie interfered. Once things calmed down, Tommy asked Rocky to be his manager. Rocky was hesitant at first because he had no experience but agreed to because Tommy was fine with that. Rocky soon not only managed Tommy but allowed him to live with him and even treated him like a son, much to his real son's disappointment.
Thanks to Rocky's training, Tommy's talent was increased, leading to 15 more victories for him, all by knockout. As Tommy began to get media attention, however, he began to notice he was living in Rocky's shadow. Lots of Gunn's fame came indirectly through Rocky, slowly making him more and more frustrated. George Duke saw this as his chance to promote Tommy, so he approached him, promising him the fame and riches he couldn't get from being with Rocky. Having noticed that no formal papers were signed between Rocky and Tommy, Duke got Tommy to agree to work for him. Duke deceives Tommy into thinking Rocky doesn't have his best interests in mind. Rocky and Tommy confront each other on Christmas and Rocky tries to convince Tommy he is on his side, but Tommy doesn't believe him and leaves.
On January 1, 1990, the same day Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed
first fought almost 15 years ago, Tommy is given a title shot against Union Cane. Tommy knocks out Cane in the first round, winning the Heavyweight Championship of the World. Tommy said afterward he wanted to thank to person who made this all possible, who turned out to be Duke, not Rocky. Tommy is booed by the crowd for leaving Balboa and criticized by reporters afterward. They state that Cane was nothing but a "paper champion" because he never won the belt and Tommy won't be a true champion until he beats a worthy opponent. Tommy becomes enraged over the press's reaction, while Duke senses an opportunity and tells Tommy that he needs to fight Rocky Balboa himself in the ring to show he is a worthy champion. Duke encourages Tommy to use any means necessary.
Later that night, Tommy and Duke, along with a small camera crew, confront Rocky in a bar back in Philadelphia, challenging him to fight Tommy. Paulie sticks up for Rocky and tells Tommy that if it were not for Rocky, he'd be nothing but a joke. Paulie then pushes Tommy away, enraging Tommy to punch Paulie in the face in return. This angers Rocky, who challenges Tommy to a street fight outside. Against Duke's wishes, Tommy accepts.
Rocky gains the upper hand early in the fight, but is eventually beaten down by Tommy and seems to be out for the count. After having a vision of his former mentor Mickey Goldmill
, Rocky gets up and uses his street fight knowledge to defeat Tommy in front of the entire neighborhood, knocking Tommy into the grill of a bus with his final punch. Afterwards, Tommy is arrested and Duke regards Tommy as a "bum." Duke trys to make one last attempt to promote Rocky, but when Rocky marches down to Duke, Duke tells him "touch me and I'll sue." Rocky punches him onto the hood of a car and states "Sue me for what?" as the crowd cheers for him.
Tommy's last known professional record was 23 wins (23 KO) and no losses or draws, although it's likely that he had been defeated soon after the fight because Duke told him he'd be finished if he lost and he was not the champion in Rocky Balboa (film)
. Tommy most likely retired shortly after the fight.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
that appeared as Rocky Balboa's protégé in the 1990 boxing film Rocky V
Rocky V
Rocky V is an American film released as the fifth film in the Rocky series in 1990. It stars Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Stallone's real life son Sage, and real life boxer Tommy Morrison as boxer Tommy Gunn, a talented yet raw boxer...
. He is portrayed by real life boxer Tommy Morrison
Tommy Morrison
Tommy David Morrison is an American heavyweight boxer and a former World Boxing Organization champion. He lost only three out of a total of 52 professional fights. Morrison's nickname, "The Duke," is based on disputed claims that he is a grandnephew of Hollywood star John Wayne...
.
Fictional character biography
Tommy Gunn was a young fighter from OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Gunn came from a dysfunctional family
Dysfunctional family
A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often abuse on the part of individual members occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is...
where is alcoholic father frequently abused Tommy and his mother. One day when Tommy got in trouble at school, his father beat him so badly, he couldn't walk for a week. When Tommy got older, he was able to stand up to his dad and claimed his father was the first person he ever knocked out, possibly starting an interest in boxing for Tommy. Tommy Gunn traveled to Philadelphia to seek out a down-and-out Rocky Balboa, hoping for a chance to be taught boxing from the man himself. Tommy Gunn had an amateur record of 45-1-0.
Plot
Tommy Gunn met up with Rocky Balboa and his brother-in-law Paulie Pennino and asked Rocky if he would teach him some of his moves; he also said he already had a professional record of 7 wins (all KO). However, Rocky ended up getting side-tracked by George Washington Duke, who wanted Rocky to come out of retirement so Duke could promote a fight between him and the current champion Union Cane (Cane only became champion because Rocky retired). Rocky did tell Tommy, however, to stop by Mighty Mick's Gym later.Tommy took Rocky up on his offer and came to his gym. Tommy was paired up with a sparring partner and insisted he didn't need headgear. Tommy's partner was beating him at first, but once Tommy got angry, he unloaded a vicious attack of punches on his partner and didn't stop until Rocky and Paulie interfered. Once things calmed down, Tommy asked Rocky to be his manager. Rocky was hesitant at first because he had no experience but agreed to because Tommy was fine with that. Rocky soon not only managed Tommy but allowed him to live with him and even treated him like a son, much to his real son's disappointment.
Thanks to Rocky's training, Tommy's talent was increased, leading to 15 more victories for him, all by knockout. As Tommy began to get media attention, however, he began to notice he was living in Rocky's shadow. Lots of Gunn's fame came indirectly through Rocky, slowly making him more and more frustrated. George Duke saw this as his chance to promote Tommy, so he approached him, promising him the fame and riches he couldn't get from being with Rocky. Having noticed that no formal papers were signed between Rocky and Tommy, Duke got Tommy to agree to work for him. Duke deceives Tommy into thinking Rocky doesn't have his best interests in mind. Rocky and Tommy confront each other on Christmas and Rocky tries to convince Tommy he is on his side, but Tommy doesn't believe him and leaves.
On January 1, 1990, the same day Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed
Apollo Creed
Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the Rocky films, initially portrayed as the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World. He was played by Carl Weathers. Many believe his character was modeled after Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali while Rocky Balboa was based on relatively unknown...
first fought almost 15 years ago, Tommy is given a title shot against Union Cane. Tommy knocks out Cane in the first round, winning the Heavyweight Championship of the World. Tommy said afterward he wanted to thank to person who made this all possible, who turned out to be Duke, not Rocky. Tommy is booed by the crowd for leaving Balboa and criticized by reporters afterward. They state that Cane was nothing but a "paper champion" because he never won the belt and Tommy won't be a true champion until he beats a worthy opponent. Tommy becomes enraged over the press's reaction, while Duke senses an opportunity and tells Tommy that he needs to fight Rocky Balboa himself in the ring to show he is a worthy champion. Duke encourages Tommy to use any means necessary.
Later that night, Tommy and Duke, along with a small camera crew, confront Rocky in a bar back in Philadelphia, challenging him to fight Tommy. Paulie sticks up for Rocky and tells Tommy that if it were not for Rocky, he'd be nothing but a joke. Paulie then pushes Tommy away, enraging Tommy to punch Paulie in the face in return. This angers Rocky, who challenges Tommy to a street fight outside. Against Duke's wishes, Tommy accepts.
Rocky gains the upper hand early in the fight, but is eventually beaten down by Tommy and seems to be out for the count. After having a vision of his former mentor Mickey Goldmill
Mickey Goldmill
Michael "Mickey" Goldmill was a fictional boxing trainer created by Sylvester Stallone and portrayed by Burgess Meredith in the Rocky film series. The character's gravelly voice, intense demeanor and popular catch phrases helped make him highly recognizable, as well as, a common source of parody...
, Rocky gets up and uses his street fight knowledge to defeat Tommy in front of the entire neighborhood, knocking Tommy into the grill of a bus with his final punch. Afterwards, Tommy is arrested and Duke regards Tommy as a "bum." Duke trys to make one last attempt to promote Rocky, but when Rocky marches down to Duke, Duke tells him "touch me and I'll sue." Rocky punches him onto the hood of a car and states "Sue me for what?" as the crowd cheers for him.
Tommy's last known professional record was 23 wins (23 KO) and no losses or draws, although it's likely that he had been defeated soon after the fight because Duke told him he'd be finished if he lost and he was not the champion in Rocky Balboa (film)
Rocky Balboa (film)
Rocky Balboa is the sixth and final film in the Rocky franchise, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone. The film, which was also written by Stallone who plays underdog boxer Rocky Balboa, is the sixth film in the Rocky series that began with the Academy Award-winning Rocky thirty years...
. Tommy most likely retired shortly after the fight.