Tommy Morrison's Son Fights To Create Own Identity

By Lyle Fitzsimmons

For some, a first television fight is a watershed event.

But to Trey Lippe Morrison, performing in front of a big crowd is old hat.

“I don’t know how to explain it. I guess some people can do it and some people can’t,” said the newly-minted 27-year-old. “You just go out there, you’ve got your mind focused and you’re just gonna do what you’re gonna do. To really be focused and do what you need to do, you can’t be thinking about other stuff. You’ve got to be 100 percent locked in on what you’re gonna do, and when you do that you kind of just tune everything out.”

The son of ex-heavyweight champ Tommy Morrison, the birthday boy made his athletic debut as a member of football team at the University of Central Arkansas, where he played for parts of four seasons. He swapped pads and cleats for trunks and gloves in 2014, and won his 12th consecutive bout on Friday night – stopping Ed Latimore in 139 seconds on Friday night in Miami, Oklahoma.

The win was part of a card televised by Showtime.

His first football game a few years back prepped him for the TV debut.

“I noticed it a little bit. I can’t lie,” Morrison said. “One of my first games, we played Tulsa, and that was a much bigger atmosphere than playing in a high school game. As a freshman, yeah, I noticed it a little bit, but as I got older and kept playing it kind of faded away.”

The blowout of Latimore was his ninth first-round stoppage and increased the buzz that’s surrounded him since his relationship with the former champion – who died in 2013 – became public knowledge.

His work with famed trainer Freddie Roach has gone a long way toward boosting the in-ring acumen, and Morrison sat down for a recent chat to discuss his career arc, his relationship with Roach and his memories of his noteworthy father.

BoxingScene.com: The main reason people are talking to you now is because they know your dad. Is it at all frustrating that that’s why they’re looking at you, and not because you’re undefeated?

Morrison: No. It doesn’t bother me at all. It’s kind of something I expected before I even started. Just having that last name. People are gonna come to me and approach me and want to see me because of my last name. They expect me to bring to the table something my dad did. I expected that. Now I think if they keep watching me and like what they see, they’re gonna keep coming around and watching me because of who I am.

BoxingScene.com: You’re looking forward to turning that page?

Morrison: Honestly, it doesn’t bug me. It doesn’t bother me. It’s something that’s always gonna be asked. It doesn’t bother me at all. I’m cool with it.

BoxingScene.com: If he’d been a race car driver or a basketball player, would you have fought? Or is it just because it was his thing?

Morrison: Football was my sport. Football ended for me early. I didn’t really know how to get back into football. I got kicked off my team my senior year in college. It ended for me because of mistakes I made, not because I wasn’t good enough. I still felt athletic. I didn’t know how to get back into the sport of football, but I still thought I could bring something to the table in a different sport. I didn’t know what that sport would be, and boxing came to my mind because my dad did it. I thought I’d give it a shot. And that’s how this started.

BoxingScene.com: If he had been in another sport, would boxing have been your choice?

Morrison: Yes. I probably would have given boxing a shot if I was at a younger age, but at the schools I went to and the towns I lived in boxing wasn’t around anymore. Football was the sport. That’s what I excelled in. When that ended, that’s when boxing came.

BoxingScene.com: Were you a fan when he was fighting? How much were you aware of?

Morrison: When I was younger and when I was around him, I had no clue what he used to do. Ever since he passed and I joined the sport of boxing, I’ve watched all his tapes more. Me experiencing what boxing is in the ring, sparring and fighting, I’m really starting to grasp what he went through and what he did.

BoxingScene.com: Are you similar to him? Just the name, or are people looking at you seeing him too?

Morrison: I think we’re very similar. I think we’re different, too. I can’t point out our differences and similarities. I’ll go out there and people will see it. What I’m the same with and what I’m not.

BoxingScene.com: How far do you think you can ride this? Is this a name thing or a career?

Morrison: I think I can turn it into the career he had. I might be a little slower with it. I think with Freddie Roach behind me, and me with my willingness to learn and learn fast, I can go far and make a career out of it.

BoxingScene.com: Having Freddie, that’s a big edge. What’s the relationship like?

Morrison: It’s a tremendous advantage. I can’t really put the exact words on it. But I’ll use an example of me and sparring. If I go out there and I don’t have a good round, I come back to the corner and I love hearing at he has to say. What he has to say will change my next round if I can do what he wants me to do. I’ve gone out and not had a good round, came back and listened to what he had to say and totally changed it.

BoxingScene.com: Is he a teacher or does he get in your face?

Morrison: He’s like a teacher. He’s not a guy whose gonna yell at you. He’s gonna explain it to you. He’s gonna be serious. He’s really blunt. He’s gonna tell you what you need to do. If you’re losing, he’s gonna tell you you need to pick it up. If you’re winning he’ll tell you to keep it up, stick to your jab and things like that. He’s definitely more of a teacher.

BoxingScene.com: How difficult is it missing your dad? Still tough?

Morrison: Yes. I still think about him every day. I think about how I’d love to have him around as a dad. We had good times, me and him. I’d really like to have him around for the whole boxing thing because I got involved after he passed. I’ve got so many questions I’d like to ask him. Since I’m kind of similar to him in fighting styles, I figure he’d be the perfect one to answer how he dealt with things. A lot of questions to ask.

BoxingScene.com: What fights, moments stuck out when you looked his videos?

Morrison: I liked the George Foreman fight and I liked the Razor Ruddock fight. I liked the George Foreman fight because my dad was a banger and he couldn’t just sit there and bang with George Foreman. You saw that he had to move and fight differently. I liked the Razor Ruddock fight because honestly I thought he was getting beat and he turned it around with one punch and he won.

BoxingScene.com: How about seeing him Rocky V. That’s got to be something to watch, right?

Morrison: I’ve seen Rocky V many times. I think acting is the same as boxing. That was his first movie. Probably wasn’t the best acting but I think he did a good job and if he’d have gotten another movie I’m sure he’d have gotten better at it.

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This week’s title fight schedule:

No title fights scheduled.

Last week’s picks: 1-0 (WON: Linares)

2016 picks record: 69-19 (78.4 percent)

Overall picks record: 801-267 (75.0 percent)

NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body's full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA "world championships" are only included if no "super champion" exists in the weight class.

Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.