Trey Lippe Morrison survived an early scare to extend his perfect knockout-to-win run in the pro ranks.

The second-generation heavyweight enjoyed a hometown showcase, stopping journeyman Jason Bergman inside of three rounds. A rolled ankle injury suffered by Bergman produced the end at 1:27 of round three Saturday in front of rabid local crowd at a sold-out Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Bergman has lost far more often than he’s won in recent years but didn’t come to lay down in this one. Lippe Morrison—the son of late former WBO heavyweight titlist Tommy Morrison—fought with confidence in round one, bobbing and weaving while looking to find a home for his right hand. Bergman rode out the early storm, fighting off the ropes to connect with a left hand to send Lippe Morrison to the canvas. The sequence was waved off as a push by referee Gary Ritter, although replays did not support the call—nor did it sit well with Bergman who vehemently argued with the referee before being ordered to resume action.

It was enough to force Lippe Morrison to settle down and concentrate more on boxing. The 31-year-old heavyweight offered side-to-side movement on the inside, offering a more disciplined effort in round two. Bergman continued to come forward, though with considerably less success than was the case in the previous round.

A sudden ending came in round three. Bergman (27-20-2, 18KOs) stepped forward and missed wildly with a punch. Forward motion caused him to roll his ankle, as the Western Pennsylvania product collapsed to the canvas in excruciating pain. His inability to rise to his feet left the referee with no choice but to halt the contest.

Lippe-Morrison improves to 17-0 (17KOs) with the win. The fight was his first since July 2019, when he picked up a rust-shaking knockout in Costa Rica more than a year after appearing on the undercard of an ESPN show in Oklahoma City.

The bout served in supporting capacity to a seven-fight preliminary undercard on ESPN+ and one of five heavyweight fights spanning two broadcasts across ESPN platforms. The show precedes an ESPN telecast, headlined by the vacant WBO light heavyweight title fight between Joe Smith Jr. (26-3, 21KOs) and Maxim Vlasov (45-3, 26KOs).

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox