Tommy Gunn

Tommy "The Machine" Gunn is a fictional character from the film Rocky V. He is played by professional boxer Tommy Morrison. The character name comes from the weapon Tommy Gun. Also the character is based semi on Morrison himself. Though the relationship between Gunn and Duke resembles Mike Tyson and Don King.

In Rocky V, Tommy Gunn seeks out a down-and-out Rocky Balboa in 1986, hoping for a chance at boxing greatness. As Gunn explains, he comes from a broken home in Oklahoma and has nothing but the clothes on his back. The first man that he ever knocked out was his abusive father, who was returning home in a drunken stupor. He pleads with Rocky to take him in despite a poor first impression in Mighty Mick's Gym. When he met Rocky, he had already won 8 fights, making a perfect record, knocking out all of his opponents. Thanks to Rocky's experience and Tommy's talent the two soon achieve great success winning 22 consecutive fights from 1987 to 1989. Tommy however, unhappy with being viewed as a pawn for a now disabled Balboa and wanting bigger paying fights, signs on with less-than-reputable promoter George Washington Duke on Christmas, 1989. The move splits Rocky and his protege apart. In early 1990 Gunn beats Union Cane for the World Heavyweight Championship, but his victory is soon met with ridicule by the press as they described Cane as the Paper Champion, Gunn, Duke, and the Press rush to the Lucky-Seven Tavern that same night, Gunn challenges Balboa to a boxing-match, and Rocky declines until his best friend and Adrian's brother, Paulie is punched in the jaw by Tommy Gunn after he tells him what he thinks of his morality. Rocky challenges him to a street fight. Gunn ultimately loses and is knocked against a city-bus. He is arrested and later leaves Philadelphia in humiliation, vowing never to return. It is thought that he left for Oklahoma, his home town.