Jermain Taylor has just completed one of the most improbable championship stories in boxing history.
Don’t get me wrong, Taylor isn’t a bum but he’s gone through some of the most controversial circumstances a boxer can face in and out of the ring.
In 2007 Taylor was one of the best fighters in the world and had two wins over Bernard Hopkins to his credit. Then it all came crumbling down as he lost 4 of his next 5 fights. In his fight against Arthur Abraham he was knocked out in the 12th round and suffered a severe concussion and brain bleed. He was advised to never fight again. He took a hiatus from 2009 to 2013 and returned to the ring. He’s won 5 fights since that point but the fact that his life can end with one well placed hook still worries everyone that watches. Everyone besides Taylor that is:
“I read that Martin Luther King said, ‘A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live,'” he says. “I was like, dang. You know, I would die for boxing. I know that’s dumb. You’ll say, “You got your kids — your family.” I know. But still, you died fighting. Jermain Taylor is a boxer.”
Recent legal troubles added even more weight to Taylor’s boxing career. Two months ago Taylor was arrested on two felony charges for shooting his cousin in a domestic dispute and was released on $25,000 bond.
“Mr. Taylor’s cousin and another individual came to his residence, and there was some sort of altercation,” Minden said, adding that the two who showed up at Taylor’s home were unarmed. “At some point, Mr. Taylor retrieved a handgun and fired several rounds. His cousin was struck multiple times. The cousin is alive and in serious condition at an area hospital. He has pretty serious injuries. The other person was not struck, but Mr. Taylor had fired several rounds and missed.”
Despite the deck being stacked against him, Taylor fought Sam Soliman and captured the IBF Middle weight title.
He’ll still have to face a judge for the shooting of his cousin and monitor his health daily but those things didn’t distract Taylor from looking at bigger fights.
“I just thank God and Al Haymon,” Taylor said. “Thank you Al Haymon! We did it, baby! We coming home with the belt. Who is next?
“I want whoever Al Haymon puts in there. Whoever Al Haymon says, that’s who I am going for. I have never dodged anybody in my career.”