Powell turned pro in 2002 and was undefeated in his first 20 fights before losing to
Kassim Ouma in 2006. In 2007, he won a close decision over
Ishe Smith and had a KO win over
Terrance Cauthen. After racking up a 15-0 record, in May 2005 Powell met the also unbeaten
Cornelius Bundrage. Seconds coming into the fight, Bundrage and Powell threw simultaneous right hands to each other's chin, resulting in an extremely rare double knockdown. In shock of the event the referee did not score any knockdowns and Powell immediately sent down Bundrage for the second time with a straight left, who fell two times while trying to stand up and the bout was stopped. He trained with coach
Buddy McGirt in his professional career. On June 11, 2008 Powell fought
Deandre Latimore at the
Hard Rock Cafe in
New York City. Powell entered the fight ranked #1 by the
IBF in the
junior middleweight division. Both men hurt each other repeatedly throughout the fight, but it was Latimore who came up big in the seventh round when he hurt Powell with a right hook. An uppercut rocked Powell along the ropes and his head was repeatedly snapped back as he absorbed punch after punch. With less than a minute left in the round, the referee stepped in and called it off, much to the dismay of Powell. At the time of the stoppage, all three judges had the fight even, 57-57. Powell tested positive for
marijuana in his post-fight drug test and was suspended for 60 days by the
New York State Athletic Commission. Powell avenged his loss to Latimore by fighting him again two years later and winning with a twelve-round majority decision in an
IBF title eliminator in
Durant,
Oklahoma.{{cite web ==Professional boxing record==