Boxer Jermain Taylor injured, charged with eight felonies; title defense off

IBF middleweight champion Jermain Taylor's defense against Sergio Mora is off because of both a rib injury and the recent charges against Taylor of multiple offenses stemming from an incident with his wife, reports ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael.

Taylor (33-4-1, 20 KOs) was scheduled to face Mora (27-3-2, 9 KOs) on Feb. 6 in Biloxi, Miss.

Taylor’s promoter Lou DiBella said he broke a rib in a sparring session a few days ago.

On Monday, authorities charged Taylor with eight felonies, including five for aggravated assault for allegedly discharging a gun, three felony counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance, according to the report.

Police say Taylor discharged a weapon five times Monday in Little Rock after pointing it at his wife, children and another person. When Taylor was arrested, police found him with a bag with marijuana.

"Right now there aren't any plans to reschedule anything or think about his future in the ring until the events surrounding his legal issues are dealt with," DiBella said.

Taylor was also arrested in August on felony charges of first-degree domestic battery and aggravated assault after allegedly shooting his cousin. He received permission from the court to travel out of state to train and fight Sam Soliman in October. Taylor won a 12-round unanimous decision after knocking down Soliman four times during the bout.

Taylor, 36, faces up to 26 years in prison if he is convicted on charges of first-degree battery and first-degree terroristic threatening in that case. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

- Scooby Axson