Jermain Taylor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jermain Taylor
Statistics
Nickname(s)	Bad Intentions
Rated at	Middleweight Super middleweight
Height	6 ft 2 in
Reach	78 in
Born	(1978-08-11) August 11, 1978 (age 46) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	38
Wins	33
Wins by KO	20
Losses	4
Draws	1
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  United States Olympic Games Bronze 2000 Sydney Light middleweight Goodwill Games Bronze 1998 New York Light middleweight

Jermain Taylor (born August 11, 1978) is an American former professional boxer. He competed from 2001 to 2014. He is known for being the most recent undisputed champion in the middleweight division. This means he held all four major boxing titles at the same time.

In 2005, Taylor defeated Bernard Hopkins, ending Hopkins' ten-year reign as middleweight champion. This made Taylor the first male boxer to win titles from all four main boxing organizations in one fight. He beat Hopkins again six months later, becoming the only boxer to defeat Hopkins twice. Taylor retired as a world champion in 2014 after winning the International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight title for a second time.

Jermain Taylor started boxing at age 13. He won many awards as an amateur boxer. He won the 1996 Under-19 Championship, two Police Athletic League (PAL) Championships, and National Golden Gloves titles. In 1998, he won a bronze medal at the Goodwill Games. In 2000, he joined the U.S. Olympic boxing team. He was the first boxer from Arkansas to compete in the Olympic Games. At the 2000 Olympics, Taylor won a bronze medal in the light middleweight division.

He made his professional debut in 2001. He won his first 25 fights, including victories over former champions Raúl Márquez and William Joppy. During his time as unified middleweight champion, Taylor also fought Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks. He also had a draw with Winky Wright. In 2007, he lost his unified middleweight championship to Kelly Pavlik. This was his first professional loss. He later moved up to the super middleweight division.

After some time away from the ring, Taylor returned in 2011. He won five fights in a row. In 2014, he defeated Sam Soliman to win his second IBF middleweight title.

Professional Boxing Journey

Starting His Career

In December 2000, Jermain Taylor signed with boxing promoter Lou DiBella. He began his professional boxing career on January 27, 2001. His first fight was in New York City against Chris Walsh. Taylor won by stopping the fight in the fourth round. He continued to win all six of his other fights in 2001. Taylor kept his winning streak going through 2002 and 2003.

On June 19, 2004, Taylor fought former IBF Light Middleweight Champion Raúl Márquez. Taylor controlled the fight with his strong punches. In the ninth round, Taylor knocked Márquez down. Márquez's trainer stopped the fight, giving Taylor a win. On December 4, 2004, Taylor fought former WBA Middleweight Champion William Joppy. Taylor won this fight by a unanimous decision. In his next fight on February 19, 2005, Taylor defeated Daniel Edouard by stopping the fight in the third round.

Becoming Undisputed Middleweight Champion

Taylor fought Bernard Hopkins for the Undisputed Middleweight Championship on July 16, 2005. The fight took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hopkins, at 40 years old, had successfully defended his title 20 times in a row. He had not lost a fight in 12 years.

Taylor used his jab effectively in the early rounds. In the fifth round, a clash of heads caused a cut on Taylor's head. In the tenth round, Hopkins landed some strong punches that made Taylor wobbly. Taylor won the fight by a split decision. Two judges scored the fight for Taylor, and one for Hopkins. With this victory, Taylor became the new Undisputed Middleweight Champion. He won the WBC, WBO, IBF, WBA (Super), The Ring, and Lineal Middleweight Championships.

On December 3, 2005, Taylor defeated Hopkins again by unanimous decision in a rematch. This fight was also in Las Vegas. Taylor had given up his IBF Middleweight title before the rematch. Hopkins started slowly, but put more pressure on Taylor in the later rounds. All three judges scored the fight for Taylor. After the fight, Taylor said he would be ready to fight the winner of a match between Winky Wright and Sam Soliman.

Holding the Unified Middleweight Title

Taylor vs. Wright

On June 17, 2006, Taylor fought Winky Wright. The fight was in Memphis, Tennessee. Taylor changed his trainer to Emanuel Steward for this fight. The fight was very close. Wright won most of the early rounds, but Taylor became more active later. By the ninth round, Wright had swelling around his eyes. The fight ended in a draw, with one judge scoring for Taylor, one for Wright, and one a tie.

Taylor vs. Ouma and Spinks

On December 9, 2006, Taylor fought Kassim Ouma in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Taylor hurt Ouma early in the fight and controlled it with jabs and hooks. Taylor won the fight by unanimous decision. Afterwards, the WBA announced that Taylor was no longer their Middleweight Super Champion.

On May 19, 2007, Taylor fought former Undisputed Welterweight Champion Cory Spinks. The fight was in Memphis. Taylor kept his distance from Spinks and landed single punches. He hurt Spinks in the seventh round. Spinks had trouble getting close to Taylor. Taylor won the fight by split decision.

Taylor vs. Pavlik

In his next fight, Taylor faced Kelly Pavlik on September 29, 2007. The fight was in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Taylor had beaten Pavlik before in their amateur careers. In the second round, Taylor knocked Pavlik down. Taylor was ahead on all the judges' scorecards going into the seventh round. However, Pavlik landed a strong punch that sent Taylor into a corner. Pavlik then landed more punches, dropping Taylor to the canvas. The referee stopped the fight. This was Taylor's first professional loss and the first time he had been knocked down.

One month later, Taylor decided to have a rematch with Pavlik. The rematch was at a slightly higher weight. Taylor's trainer was changed back to Ozell Nelson. On February 16, 2008, Taylor lost the rematch to Pavlik by unanimous decision.

Moving to Super Middleweight

After his two losses to Pavlik, Taylor officially moved up to the super middleweight division. On November 15, 2008, Taylor beat Jeff Lacy by a clear unanimous decision. This win earned him a chance to fight for the vacant WBC Super Middleweight title.

On April 25, 2009, Taylor fought Carl Froch for the WBC Super Middleweight title. The fight was in Ledyard, Connecticut. Taylor controlled the first two rounds. In the third round, Taylor knocked Froch down for the first time in Froch's career. Taylor was ahead on two of the judges' scorecards going into the final round. However, Froch landed two strong punches that sent Taylor down. Froch then landed many more punches, and the referee stopped the fight with only seconds left. Froch won by technical knockout.

Super Six Tournament and First Break

Taylor took part in the Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament. This tournament was organized by Showtime to find the best boxer in the super middleweight division.

On October 17, 2009, Taylor fought Arthur Abraham in Berlin, Germany. Abraham defeated Taylor by knockout in the 12th round. In January 2010, Taylor decided to leave the tournament. He said he needed to rest his body and mind after boxing for almost 20 years. He planned to stay in shape and return to boxing later.

Middleweight Return

On December 30, 2011, after more than two years away from the ring, Taylor returned to fight Jessie Nicklow. Taylor won by technical knockout in the eighth round. He then fought Caleb Truax on April 25, 2012. Taylor controlled most of the fight and won by unanimous decision.

Taylor then faced Raul Munoz on October 12, 2012. He won quickly by knockout in the second round. His next fight was against Juan Carlos Candelo on December 14, 2013. Jermain won this fight by technical knockout in the seventh round.

On October 4, 2014, Taylor fought Sam Soliman for Soliman's IBF Middleweight World Championship belt. After twelve rounds, Taylor won by a clear unanimous decision. By winning this belt, he became a two-time middleweight world champion.

Retirement from Boxing

Jermain Taylor was scheduled to defend his IBF title in February 2015. However, the fight was cancelled. The IBF later took away his title because he was unable to defend it. Taylor decided to retire from boxing after winning his second world title.

Personal Life

Jermain Taylor was married to Erica Taylor, who played basketball at Louisiana Tech University. They have three daughters. Jermain also has a son named Jermain Taylor Jr.

Taylor is very proud to be from Arkansas. He is a big fan of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks sports teams. He often has a large Razorback symbol on his boxing robe and shorts during his fights. In 2005, he was named "Arkansan of the Year" by the Arkansas Times. In 2007, Taylor was added to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. He has also modeled for brands like Everlast, GQ, and Vogue.

Professional Boxing Record

See also

In Spanish: Jermain Taylor para niños

• List of middleweight boxing champions
• List of WBA world champions
• List of WBC world champions
• List of IBF world champions
• List of WBO world champions
• List of The Ring world champions
• List of undisputed boxing champions