Jermain Taylor and the downward spiral of the former middleweight champion

Jermain Taylor was once the undisputed middleweight boxing champion of the world, but over the last few years his life has fallen apart.

In 2005, Jermain Taylor was at the pinnacle of his boxing career. He defeated Bernard Hopkins to become the undisputed middleweight champion of the world and he would go on to defeat Hopkins again that year to successfully defend the title he had won. Taylor was happily married to WNBA player Erica Taylor and his future seemed bright. He was a family man and was the 2005 Arkansan of the Year.

Taylor was one of boxing’s biggest stars. During interviews, he came off as charismatic and charming, which added to his growing marketability. In 2005, it looked as if Taylor’s life was that of a fairy tale.

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever.

Currently, Taylor’s boxing career has concluded. He was arrested on Tuesday, July 18, on multiple criminal charges. This latest incident is a continuation of legal problems that have surrounded the former champion over the last four years.

The first disturbance in Taylor’s life occurred in 2007 when he attempted to defend his middleweight titles against Kelly Pavlik. Taylor, the heavy favorite, put Pavlik down in the second round. It seemed like Taylor’s good fortunes were going to continue. Pavlik rose from the canvas and continued to fight and Taylor was in command of the bout until round seven.

In that seventh round, Pavlik hurt Taylor with a right and continued to punish him. Taylor fell to the ground and the referee, Steve Smoger, stopped the fight. In a matter of seconds, The champ went from dominating Pavlik to losing his titles.

Taylor was awarded a rematch in 2008, but he again lost to Pavlik, this time by unanimous decision.

With two losses on his record and his air of invincibility shattered, Taylor tried to reinvent himself as a super middleweight. He challenged Carl Froch for his WBC super middleweight title. Similar to the Pavlik fight, Taylor hurt Froch early in the fight, knocking him down in the third, but he couldn’t maintain his momentum. Froch rocked Taylor in the final round, and referee Mike Ortega stopped the fight. Froch won by TKO.

In 2009, Taylor signed on to participate in Showtime’s Super Six middleweight tournament but he only participated one fight which resulted in a brutal knockout loss to Arthur Abraham. Taylor suffered his third knockout loss in a little over two years.

He planned to stay in the Super Six tournament, but his promoter, Lou Dibella, refused to continue working with Taylor because he was concerned with the state of Taylor’s health. DiBella released a statement saying, “It is with a heavy heart, but strong conviction, that I will recuse myself and DiBella Entertainment as Jermain’s promoter.” He added, “It is out of genuine concern for him and his family that I am compelled to make this decision.”

DiBella’s intuition on Taylor’s health proved to be correct. Abraham badly damaged Taylor in their bout. He suffered a concussion and brain bleed during the fight. This health setback forced him to quit boxing altogether.

In 2011, however, after two years away from the sport, Taylor attempted a comeback. He returned to the middleweight division to see if he could turn back the hands of time and recapture some of his former glory. For a while, he looked like he might be a part of another fairy tale scenario. He fought four times between 2011 and 2013, winning all of his fights, but then his comeback dreams turned into a nightmare.

Taylor was arrested on August 26, 2014, on charges of first-degree domestic battery and aggravated assault. He allegedly shot his cousin in a domestic dispute.

The man who was once the pride of Little Rock, Arkansas became a deplorable figure.

While awaiting trial, the IBF allowed Taylor to challenge Sam Soliman for his middleweight title. The embattled star won by unanimous decision and regained a championship belt in the process. Fans hoped that Taylor would be able to turn his life around. He had been through a lot during his 13-year career, and it looked like he could defeat his demons and end his career on a high note.

Jermain Taylor’s story, however, does not have a happy ending.

Three months after winning the IBF title, Taylor was arrested yet again for another violent charge. In January of 2015, Taylor was charged with five counts of aggravated assault and three counts of child endangerment. Allegedly, Taylor flew into a rage during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in Little Rock, Arkansas. Reports stated Taylor shot at a man named Thelton Smith, and pointed a gun at Smith’s wife and children.

According to USA Today, “Smith said he and his family were looking at Taylor’s championship belt Monday afternoon on the street when it was dropped. Smith said Taylor blamed Smith’s young son for dropping the belt, precipitating the gun incident.”

Taylor’s professional career was halted by the downfall of his personal life. It is hard to believe that the 2005 Arkansan of the Year could be charged with assaulting a man in front of his entire family. Many believed the change in Jermain Taylor’s behavior stemmed trauma suffered in the ring throughout his boxing career.

While incarcerated, Taylor received numerous mental health evaluations. In July of 2015, he was accused of assault while in a rehab center and he pleaded not guilty “by way of mental disease or defect,” as reported by arkansasonline.com. Taylor received a suspended sentence for all charges. He walked out of court on May 20, 2016, a free man. He had essentially received probation for all of his crimes.

After all the pitfalls, though, the former middleweight king still hoped to box again. The justice system failed Taylor and the public it proclaims to protect; the justice system swept his sins under the rug.

Jermain Taylor is not all right, though. His physical wounds from boxing have damaged his character, personality and mental health.

This entire saga brings us back to the present. Taylor’s latest arrest is a glaring example of things not getting better at all for the former star. Taylor is accused of physically assaulting and threatening his girlfriend and now has three new criminal charges to add to his ledger.

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It is easy to dismiss Taylor as a career criminal who slipped through the cracks of the criminal justice system, but that’s just too simple. In reality, Taylor is a dishonored boxing hero. He reached the top of the sport only to become damaged goods who apparently needs some guidance during these trying times.

Sadly for Jermain Taylor, no one is answering the bell, so his downward spiral continues. He was a great former champion and deserves more help than what he has received.