Jaidon Codrington and Randy Griffin have both experienced the ups and downs of a professional boxing career. Codrington (19 wins and 2 losses) and Griffin (24 wins and 2 losses) will attempt to re-establish their careers at the “Protect & Serve” boxing series at Metro Fitness. The series will raise money for the Atlanta Police Athletic League and could put Codrington and Griffin on track to eventually challenge for a world championship belt. The two pugilist recently sat down with rolling out sports to discuss their upcoming fight. –a.r.
When did you guys get into the sport?
Codrington: Boxing was something that my family always has done in the past. My uncle was an Olympic boxer, so it’s something I basically got involved with and took seriously.
Griffin: My little brother was boxing and got beat[en] up in the gym. He came to get me to fight the guy, but I got beat[en] up too because I didn’t know how to box. So I learned the sport and eventually got better at it. I tried out for the Olympics and eventually went pro.
Jaidon, you were featured on the NBC television show “The Contender.” How did that come about?
Codrington: “The Contender” was at a turning point in my career. The producers approached me so I took that opportunity and ran with it. It was basically a TV show [where] you have four fights against some of the world’s greatest fighters.
Let’s talk about your upcoming fight. How did you get involved with the Atlanta Police athletically?
Codrington: Byron Oglesby is the guy who put a lot of this stuff together. He came up with the idea because he has a new gym and he’s trying to help the youth do something positive.
Griffin: I wanted to get involved because I see crime going up and kids don’t have anything to do. This fight will help the kids do constructive things by raising money for the Atlanta Police Athletic League. People should come out and support because this will help to uplift everyone.
The “Protect & Serve” Boxing Series will take place on Oct. 9 at Metro Fitness in Atlanta. For more information, log on www.protectandservefightseries.com.
