Dan Rafael
ESPN Senior Writer
Heavyweight prospect Trey Lippe Morrison, the son of the late heavyweight titleholder Tommy Morrison, will make his television debut Sept. 23 in front of a home-region crowd at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma.
Lippe Morrison (11-0, 11 KOs), who is trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach, will take on Roc Nation Sports prospect Ed Latimore (13-0, 7 KOs) in a six-round fight that will open the “ShoBox: The New Generation” quadrupleheader on Showtime (10 p.m. ET/PT).
Lippe Morrison, 26, is from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and has fought all but one of his bouts at Buffalo Run. He has faced limited opposition, as has the 31-year-old Latimore.
Lippe Morrison, who turned pro in 2014, will be fighting for the first time since January because of an injury.
Trey Lippe Morrison, the son of the late heavyweight titleholder Tommy Morrison, makes his TV debut Sept. 23. Tony Holden Productions
“I have worked so hard to get to this point and now this is my chance to show the world who I am,” Lippe Morrison said. “I want to thank Showtime for the opportunity. Latimore is a huge step up in class for me, but I am ready for it. Once I hear those Oklahoma fans and feel the energy inside the arena, I flip a switch and it’s go time. This is going to be my coming-out party.”
Latimore, a pro since 2013, owns amateur victories against former world titleholder Charles Martin and former world title challenger Dominic Breazeale, a 2012 U.S. Olympian.
“Morrison will be a real test for me,” Latimore said. “It’s never easy to fight someone in their backyard. I just fought in my hometown of Pittsburgh, so I know the feeling coming into it and the momentum on fight night. I am looking forward to putting on a good show for all the fans in Oklahoma and those watching on ‘ShoBox.'”
In the main event between prospects, Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic (21-1, 14 KOs), 25, will face Travis Peterkin (16-0-1, 7 KOs), 26, of Brooklyn, New York, in a scheduled 10-rounder. Kalajdzic, who hails from Bosnia and Herzegovina and lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, will be boxing for the first time since a controversial, nationally televised eight-round decision loss to unbeaten 2012 Olympian Marcus Browne on April 16.
“I am really excited about this fight and that I am on television again, fighting another undefeated southpaw,” Kalajdzic said. “I am continuing where I left off with training camp from my previous fight since it’s another southpaw, so I will be more than prepared. Hopefully, Peterkin comes to fight and not hug like my last opponent did so we can give the fans a good fight.”
Said Peterkin: “I was ringside at Hot Rod’s last fight. I respect him, but I saw what his flaws are and will exploit them. I am anticipating a war. Brooklyn is coming to Oklahoma and I will not disappoint. On Sept. 23, greatness beckons.”
Also, junior welterweight prospect Ivan Baranchyk (11-0, 10 KOs), 23, a Byelorussia native fighting out of Brooklyn, will face Wang Zhimin (7-0, 3 KOs), 30, a China native based in Nutley, New Jersey, in the 10-round co-feature.
The other televised match will feature Ukrainian welterweight prospect Ivan Golub (12-0, 10 KOs), a 27-year-old southpaw, taking on James Stevenson (23-2, 16 KOs), 33, of Baltimore, in a scheduled eight-round fight.
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