Trey Lippe Morrison overpowers Ed Latimore in first-round TKO
The son of former heavyweight champ Tommy Morrison looked like a chip off the old block Friday night.
Morrison, 26, the college football player turned boxer, was facing the toughest opponent of his young career in undefeated Ed Latimore. The fight, aired on Showtime's ShoBox: the New Generation, was Lippe Morrison's TV debut.
But Morrison, using a powerful right and newly developed left hand, dropped Latimore (13-1, 7 KOs) twice in the first round and was on the verge of a third before referee Gary Ritter stepped in and stopped it at 2:19 of the round in the scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.
With the victory, Lippe Morrison, who played four years as a defensive end at Central Arkansas before being kicked off the team as a senior, improved to 12-0 with 12 KOs, nine of which have come in the first round.
"I didn't expect it to end this quick," he said. "I knew it might, but I didn't plan on it. It felt good to drop a guy with my left hand. I never had the accuracy or quickness with the left that I do now. I now feel that I am equally adept with both hands. My left is like my right.
To win a fight like this is definitely a relief. I was nervous about the fight, but not about fighting on TV. This was supposed to be my toughest fight on paper and I think I did well."
With seven-time trainer of the year and Hall of Famer Freddie Roach in his corner, Lippe Morrison connected on 20 of 29 power punches, six of them to the body.
After the victory, before a partisan crowd waving "Trey" signs at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Okla., not far from where he grew up, Lippe Morrison picked up Roach and gave him a bear hug.
"I feel I may have opened some eyes, but that's in large part to Freddie Roach." said Lippe Morrison. "I feel I'm improving thanks to Freddie. I'm throwing quicker, snappier punches and the coordination between my footwork with my hands is way better. All that is because of Freddie.
"I wasn't going for the KO but I'm glad it happened. I could not have done it without Freddie, that's for sure. I'll be going back to California in a week and then right to the gym."
Roach, meanwhile, will leave for The Philippines to begin training Manny Pacquiao for his Nov. 5 fight against Jessie Vargas.
Tommy Morrison was a two-time heavyweight champion who finished his career at 48-3-1 (42 KOs). Morrison's cautionary tale ended on Sept. 1, 2013 when he died from AIDS.
(Photo from Friday's fight of Morrison, right, connecting with a right against Latimore, by Tom Casino, Showtime)