Jermain Taylor

Who is Jermain Taylor?

Jermain Taylor is an American professional boxer, former Undisputed Middleweight and current IBF Middleweight Champion. He made his professional boxing debut in 2001 and won his first 25 bouts, which included victories over former champions Raúl Márquez and William Joppy. On July 16, 2005, Taylor defeated Bernard Hopkins to win the Undisputed Middleweight Championship, claiming The Ring Middleweight Championship and all the middleweight titles from the four major boxing organizations.

Taylor, who began boxing officially at age 13, earned numerous accolades throughout his amateur career, starting with his achievement of the 1996 Under-19 Championship. He went on to win a pair of Police Athletic League Championships and National Golden Gloves titles and he finished second and third at the 1997 and 1998 United States Championships, respectively. In 1998, Taylor won a bronze medal at the Goodwill Games. Then, in 2000, he earned a spot on the Olympic Boxing Team, becoming the first boxer from Arkansas ever to compete in the Olympic Games. Competing at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Taylor ended up winning the bronze medal.