Sechew Powell and Jaidon Codrington on ShoBox: The New Generation

NEW YORK (October 12, 2005) – In two match-ups that typify the essence of the SHOWTIME boxing series, “ShoBox: The New Generation,” four outstanding prospects will face their toughest tests on Friday, Nov. 4, 2005, to see if they are ready for major title contention.

The first explosive pairing features “ShoBox” veteran, Sechew “Iron Horse” Powell in a 10-round junior middleweight war against International Boxing Federation (IBF) No. 12 contender Archak “Shark Attack” TerMeliksetian.  The dynamite co-main event will feature an eight-round brawl between undefeated super middleweights Jaidon Codrington and Allan “Sweetness” Green.

SHOWTIME will televise the DiBella Entertainment doubleheader from the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Okla., at 11 p.m. ET/PT (tape delayed on west coast). The telecast represents the 67^th in the popular “ShoBox” series, which debuted on SHOWTIME in July 2001.

“In terms of the quality of both match-ups, the November 4 show is as good as we have ever had on ‘ShoBox’,” said expert analyst Steve Farhood.  “Talk about defining the series!  I know Codrington well from his bouts in New York City, and he is unquestionably the best young talent in the Big Apple.  Green is a master boxer and one of the best young talents in the Midwest.  The fact that they have agreed to fight each other is good for them, but great for the fans.

“The main event is a corker.  Powell has shown progress on ‘ShoBox,’ but he has never faced anyone as dangerous as TerMeliksetian, who has the power to knock him out.  I am looking as forward to this one as any card we have had in our four seasons.”

Powell (17-0, 11 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y., will make his fourth SHOWTIME and “ShoBox” appearances.

The undefeated brawler won the quickest fight in “ShoBox” history when he destroyed Cornelius Bundrage on May 6, 2005, in Mashantucket, Conn.  At the opening bell, both fighters swung and connected, knocking each other down.  The referee ruled, possibly incorrectly, that both fighters slipped.  As soon as the fighters regained their feet, Powell decked his opponent with a solid straight left hand.  After Bundrage got back to his feet, he stumbled and fell again, prompting the stoppage after just 22 seconds.

“I have never seen anything like that before,” Powell said. “We (he and Bundrage) had so much bad blood heading into that fight.  I was glad to shut him up like that.”

The pride of Brooklyn got floored and was nearly knocked out in the fifth round of his SHOWTIME and “ShoBox” debuts on June 17, 2004, against Grady Brewer in Laughlin, Nev.  However, Powell managed to survive the round and triumph by the scores 76-75 twice and 75-76 after the eighth.

In his second “ShoBox” appearance, the southpaw registered an eight-round unanimous decision (80-71, 80-72 and 79-73) over Patrick Thompson on Jan. 21, 2005, in Uncasville, Conn.   

TerMeliksetian (15-1, 12 KOs), of Yavard, Armenia, compiled a 98-8 amateur record with 76 KOs, and captured four Brazilian national titles and four international championships.

Since turning pro at age 24 on Aug. 3, 2002, TerMeliksetian has plowed through most of his opposition with ease, annihilating nine opponents in the first round.

On June 18, 2005, TerMeliksetian won the GBU Americas light middleweight title in Redding, Calif., by clobbering Eduardo Sanchez in the first round.

Most recently, the once-beaten fighter won his seventh-consecutive match by scoring a third-round TKO over Reggie Davis (14-2 heading in) on Aug. 26, 2005, in Valley Center, Calif.

Codrington (9-0, 9 KOs), of Bridgeport, Conn., is a highly decorated amateur champion with a national Golden Gloves title to his name.  However, after one of the worst decisions in amateur history cost him a chance to go to the Olympic trials, Codrington decided to turn pro.

The Connecticut native took on DeAndrey Abron in the quarterfinals of the Everlast U.S. Championships in Colorado.  Codrington put his opponent on the canvas once, forced him into two standing-eight counts and bloodied his nose.  However, when the judges’ verdict was announced, it was just a razor-thin 27-26 verdict for Abron.

“That was one of those fights that messed up my whole attitude about the amateurs,” Codrington said.  “I did not have the motivation to fight.  It makes no sense to fight because they have whoever they want to win, regardless.  My plans were to stay at least until the 2005 World Games to try and medal there and then go pro.  But after that, it was like, ‘yeah, right’, I will be lucky to get to the World Games. They will do the same thing to me that they did at the U.S. Championships to get to the Trials.”

Nineteen days after his 20^th birthday, Codrington turned pro and recorded a third-round TKO over Kadir Kadri on June 24, 2004, in New York.

“I am feeling more at home now,” Codrington said.  “I feel comfortable in the ring without the headgear and the shirt.  I like the fact that the gloves are so little. Since there is no headgear, they usually do not get up if I knock them down.”

A winner of his first nine fights by knockout, Codrington has impressive victories in 2005 over Glen Rayburn (13-3-1 going in) on Jan. 28, Etianne Whitaker  32-16-2 going in) on April 28, and Levan Easley (17-11-2 going in) for the New York State super middleweight title on Aug. 5.

Green (17-0, 11 KOs), of Tulsa, Okla., broke the two-decade-old, eight-second knockout record of Mike Tyson when he destroyed Tommy Krupe in June 2002 at the 2002 Golden Gloves National Championships.

In his “ShoBox” debut on May 20, 2005, in Miami, Okla., Green was ahead by the scores 70-62, 70-63 and 69-64 when the bout was stopped because of cuts after an accidental headbutt at 1:41 of the seventh.  Green looked like a master boxer against the shorter, slower Rocky Smith and fought an intelligent, calculated fight while dominating from long range.

Most recently, Green pummeled Ted Muller over 10 rounds on Aug. 26, 2005, in Norman, Okla.  The judges scored it 99-91 for Green on all three scorecards.

Nick Charles will call the action from ringside, with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst.  The executive producer of the telecast is Gordon Hall, with Richard Gaughan producing.

For information on “ShoBox: The New Generation” and SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts, including complete fighter bios, records, related stories and more, please go the SHOWTIME website at http://www.sho.com/boxing.