Boxer Jermain Taylor stripped of middleweight title
Boxer Jermain Taylor was stripped of his International Boxing Federation middleweight title on Thursday for failure to defend it, according to Lindsey Tucker of the IBF.
Taylor's promoter, Lou DiBella, was informed that, according to IBF rules, a boxer must defend his title in order to maintain it. Taylor, who has faced legal troubles in recent weeks, has been unable to do so.
Taylor, who is 33-4-1 with 20 knockouts, was slated to face Sergio Mora on Friday in Biloxi, MS. However, DiBella announced on Jan. 20 that Taylor would miss the bout due to both a rib injury sustained in a sparring session and to Taylor's arrest the previous day.
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DiBella said at the time there were no plans to reschedule the match with Mora.
According to police, Taylor fired a gun five times in Little Rock, AR, after pointing the weapon at a man, his wife and their children. At the time of his arrest, Taylor had a bag of marijuana in his possession.
The boxer was charged with felony aggravated assault, three felony counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and a misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance.
Taylor was reportedly released on bond after the arrest, but turned himself in after reports that prosecutors were seeking to have his bond revoked. According to a KTHV report on Jan. 27, the boxer was sent to a mental hospital for a physical and mental evaluation.
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Taylor, 36, was arrested in August on felony battery and assault charges, but was given permission to travel out of the state to train and fight Sam Soliman in October. He defeated Soliman in a 12-round unanimous decision.
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