Jermain Taylor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jermain Taylor |
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| Rated at |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in | |||||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 78 in | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | August 11, 1978 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
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| Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Total fights | 38 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 33 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 20 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Draws | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Jermain Taylor (born August 11, 1978) is an American former professional boxer. He competed from 2001 to 2014. He is famous for becoming the undisputed middleweight champion in 2005. He achieved this by defeating Bernard Hopkins, who had been champion for ten years. This win made Taylor the first male boxer to hold all four major boxing titles at once. He beat Hopkins again six months later. Taylor retired as a world champion in 2014 after winning the International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight title for a second time. He had recovered well from an injury he got earlier in his career.
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Jermain Taylor's Amateur Boxing Career
Jermain Taylor started boxing officially when he was 13 years old. He quickly became a talented amateur boxer. In 1996, he won the Under-19 Championship. He also won two Police Athletic League (PAL) Championships. He earned two National Golden Gloves titles.
In 1998, Taylor won a bronze medal at the Goodwill Games. This was a big achievement. 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 in Sydney, Australia, Taylor won a bronze medal in the light middleweight division.
Jermain Taylor's Professional Boxing Journey
Starting His Professional Fights
Jermain Taylor began his professional boxing career on January 27, 2001. His first fight was in New York City against Chris Walsh. Taylor won this fight by stopping his opponent 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.
In 2004, he defeated Alex Bunema. Later that year, he fought Raúl Márquez, a former champion. Taylor controlled the fight and won by a technical knockout in the ninth round. On December 4, 2004, Taylor fought William Joppy, another former champion. Taylor won this fight by a unanimous decision. This meant all three judges agreed he was the clear winner. His next fight was in February 2005 against Daniel Edouard. Taylor won quickly by a technical knockout in the third round.
Becoming the Undisputed Middleweight Champion
On July 16, 2005, Jermain Taylor faced Bernard Hopkins for the Undisputed Middleweight Championship. An "undisputed champion" is a boxer who holds all the major titles in their weight class. Hopkins was 40 years old and had not lost a fight in 12 years. He had successfully defended his title 20 times in a row.
Taylor used his jab well to control the early rounds. In the end, Taylor won the fight by a split decision. This meant 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, and The Ring magazine titles.
On December 3, 2005, Taylor fought Hopkins again in a rematch. Taylor won this second fight by a unanimous decision. This made him the only boxer to have defeated Bernard Hopkins twice.
Defending His Titles
Taylor vs. Wright
On June 17, 2006, Taylor fought Winky Wright. This was a very close fight. It ended in a draw, meaning neither boxer won. One judge scored it for Taylor, one for Wright, and one scored it a tie.
Taylor vs. Ouma and Spinks
On December 9, 2006, Taylor fought Kassim Ouma. Taylor controlled the early part of the fight. He won by a unanimous decision. On May 19, 2007, Taylor fought Cory Spinks, a former champion. Taylor won this fight by a split decision. He kept his WBC, WBO, and The Ring middleweight titles.
Taylor vs. Pavlik
Jermain Taylor's next big fight was against Kelly Pavlik on September 29, 2007. Taylor had beaten Pavlik before in their amateur days. In this professional fight, Taylor knocked Pavlik down in the second round. Taylor was ahead on the judges' scorecards. However, in the seventh round, Pavlik landed strong punches. He knocked Taylor down, and the referee stopped the fight. This was Taylor's first professional loss.
One month later, Taylor decided to have a rematch with Pavlik. The fight took place on February 16, 2008. Taylor lost the rematch to Pavlik by a unanimous decision.
Moving to Super Middleweight
After losing twice to Kelly Pavlik, Taylor moved up to the super middleweight division. On November 15, 2008, he defeated Jeff Lacy by a clear unanimous decision. This win earned him a chance to fight for the WBC Super Middleweight title.
On April 25, 2009, Taylor fought Carl Froch for the WBC Super Middleweight title. Taylor knocked Froch down in the third round. Taylor was ahead on two of the judges' scorecards going into the final round. But in the last seconds of the fight, Froch landed powerful punches. He knocked Taylor down again, and the referee stopped the fight. Froch won by technical knockout.
Super Six Tournament and a Break from Boxing
Taylor joined the Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament. This tournament aimed to find the best boxer in the super middleweight division.
On October 17, 2009, Taylor fought Arthur Abraham in Germany. Abraham won the fight by knockout in the 12th round. After this fight, Taylor had some health issues. In January 2010, Taylor decided to take a break from boxing. He said he needed to rest his body and mind after nearly 20 years of boxing.
Returning to Middleweight
After more than two years away from the ring, Taylor returned to boxing on December 30, 2011. He won his comeback fight against Jessie Nicklow by technical knockout. He then defeated Caleb Truax in April 2012 by unanimous decision.
Taylor continued his winning streak. He beat Raul Munoz by knockout in October 2012. His next win was against Juan Carlos Candelo in December 2013. Taylor won that fight by technical knockout.
On October 4, 2014, Taylor fought Sam Soliman for the IBF Middleweight World Championship. After a tough 12 rounds, Taylor won by a unanimous decision. By winning this belt, Taylor became a two-time middleweight world champion.
Life Outside the Ring and Retirement
In early 2015, Jermain Taylor faced some personal challenges. Because of these issues, he was unable to defend his title. The IBF organization later removed his title.
Taylor officially retired from boxing. He is known for being very proud of his home state of Arkansas. He is a big fan of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks sports teams. He often showed the Razorback symbol on his boxing clothes. In 2005, he was named "Arkansan of the Year." In 2007, he was added to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
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
