Jermain Taylor

1978—

Professional boxer

From the time he was a small boy helping to raise his younger sisters, Jermain Taylor has responded to challenges with a fierce determination to overcome them. Whether it was training himself to speak without a stutter or convincing his mother to allow him to learn to box, the soft-spoken Taylor simply set a goal and worked persistently to achieve it. In his boxing career, this has meant a relentless drive for success that has led him first to an Olympic bronze medal, then to a world middleweight championship in all four of the organizations that sanction professional boxing. The first Arkansas-born boxing champion, Taylor has become a hero in his home state and has repaid his home state fans with his very public loyalty and pride to be an Arkansan.

Taylor was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on August 11, 1978. When he was five years old, his father abandoned the family, leaving Taylor's mother Carlois to raise her four children alone. While his mother worked as a nurse's assistant to support the family, Taylor learned to care for his three younger sisters, taking on an adult role in the family while still a child himself. As the family struggled financially, he also contributed by taking part-time jobs, such as working as a bus boy in a local restaurant.

During his boyhood, Taylor developed a severe stutter. The difficulty in speaking made social interactions stressful and embarrassing. In school he was frequently teased by his classmates, and speaking in front of the class became a humiliating and terrifying ordeal for him. Taylor responded to the harassment he received from other children with anger, frequently got into fights, and became isolated and withdrawn.

Boxed to Stay Out of Trouble

Fearing that Taylor was on his way to trouble in his teenage years, his uncle took him to a neighborhood boxing gym run by a brick mason named Ozell Nelson. Taylor's uncle had been a boxer and knew that the ring could provide a constructive and disciplined outlet for the anger and frustration felt by many young people of color growing up in urban poverty. However, when Taylor got into the ring to spar with Nelson's son, he was badly beaten. Though his mother was horrified to see Taylor's injuries and forbade him to box again, Taylor took his defeat as a challenge and was determined to go back. Nelson saw potential in the 13 year old. "He wasn't afraid and he was willing to take a punch," he told Brian Iole of Review-Journal, "I told him, ‘Jermain, if you keep working, in six months, you'll destroy my son.’"

Between them, Taylor and Nelson convinced Carlois Taylor to relent and allow her son to learn to box. Nelson became not only Taylor's coach and teacher, but also his mentor and father figure. Taylor proved Nelson right by learning to win as they drove Nelson's old pickup truck to amateur bouts all over Arkansas. Under Nelson's instruction, Taylor developed a relentless jabbing style and powerful right and left hooks. He was so ferocious, even in practice, that a sparring partner gave him the nickname he would keep throughout his career, "Bad Intentions."

Soon Taylor began establishing an impressive record of wins as a light middleweight, both inside and outside the borders of his home state. In 1996, he graduated from McClellan Magnet High School in Little Rock and came to national attention as a boxer, winning the Under 19 National Championship, followed by two Police Athletic League (PAL) National Championships. In 1997, he placed second, and in 1998 he placed third in the U.S. Nationals. He earned a bronze medal in the 1998 Goodwill Games and, in 1998 and 1999, won the National Golden Gloves championship. The next year, he easily won a place on the U.S. Olympic boxing team.

Fought for World Championship

At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Taylor won the bronze medal in boxing, becoming the first Arkansas athlete to earn Olympic honors. However, he was disappointed to win only third place, and soon set his sights on another goal—to box professionally and become world champion. On January 27, 2001, Jermain Taylor, now a middleweight, fought his first professional bout, part of an evening billed as the "Night of the Olympians." He defeated veteran boxer Chris Walsh with a technical knockout (TKO).

As Taylor launched his professional boxing career, he assembled a crew of trusted support people, including his old friend and first coach Ozell Nelson and his Olympic boxing coach Patrick Burns. His promoter, Lou DiBella, helped steer him through the matches that would advance his career and earn him the most money. A 2003 win against Marcos Primera, an experienced Venezuelan middleweight with a national reputation, finally earned Taylor recognition throughout the world of boxing.

Taylor directed his boxing career much as he executed his fights, with patience, persistence, and timing. With the help of his management team, he did not rush his fights, but planned his approach to the championship carefully, winning 22 bouts, 17 with knockouts. A February 19, 2005, TKO against Daniel Edouard earned him the right to fight champion Bernard Hopkins, who held all four possible world middleweight titles.

Taylor fought Hopkins on July 16, 2005 in Las Vegas. As he often did, he came on strong at the beginning, earning points in early rounds. The older Hopkins grew more aggressive towards the end of the match, but many observers believed he grew overconfident by the 12th round. Taylor won in a controversial split decision, with two judges giving the match to Taylor and one to Hopkins. Jermain Taylor had fulfilled his ambition to become world middleweight champion four times over: he was champion of the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing Organization.

Many fans and Hopkins himself complained about the close decision in the championship fight. Taylor had previously signed a contract agreeing to a rematch and he was eager to prove that he could keep his newly-won championships. Due to the complex rules of the organization, in order to fight an immediate rematch, he had to give up the International Boxing Federation title, and he agreed to do this. His next fight with Hopkins took place in Las Vegas on December 2, 2005. Once more, Taylor prevailed, this time with a unanimous decision from the judges.

An Arkansas Hero

Between 2005 and 2007, Taylor successfully defended his titles twice: June 17, 2006 against Ronald "Winky" Wright, and December 9, 2006 against Kassim Ouma. For his fight with Ouma, Taylor returned to Little Rock, billing the bout "Home for the Holidays" and sharing his success with his hometown fans.

At a Glance …

Born on August 11, 1978, in Little Rock, AR; married Erica Smith, 2003; children: Nia.

Career:

Olympic Boxing Team, 2000; professional boxer, 2001-; International Boxing Federation, middleweight champion, 2005; World Boxing Association, middleweight champion, 2005-; World Boxing Council, middleweight champion, 2005-; World Boxing Organization, middleweight champion, 2005-.

Selected awards:

Ring Magazine, Most Improved Fighter Award, 2003; Arkansas Department of Human and Health Services Community Service Awards, Distinguished Citizen, 2006; Arkansas Broadcasters Association, Arkansan of the Year, 2006; Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, 2007.

Addresses:

Agent—c/o Andrew Meadors, Meadors Adams & Lee, Inc., P.O. Box 3456, Little Rock, AR 72203.

Indeed, Taylor's loyalty to his home state and his Arkansan fans has become one of his trademarks. He has a razorback hog, the University of Arkansas mascot, embroidered on the back of his robe, the word Arkansas on his trunks, and traditionally ends any interview by yelling, "I love you Arkansas!" His pride in his Arkansas heritage, his polite and unassuming manner, and his relentless determination to win have made him beloved by his fans. He has been given keys to four Arkansas cities, was named "Arkansan of the Year" in 2006, and was honored by state Governor Mike Huckabee, who named July 22, 2005, "Jermain Taylor Day." Taylor has responded to his fans' affection by remaining friendly and accessible and taking time to sign autographs. He has shared his childhood experiences with young people at a Little Rock stuttering clinic. His own stuttering had been largely conquered with speech therapy and hours of practicing in front of a mirror, just in time for the hundreds of press interviews required of the world middleweight champion.

In 2003, Taylor married another professional athlete, Erica Smith, who played basketball for the Women's National Basketball Association's Washington Mystics. On December 10, 2004, the two had a daughter, Nia. Though he has a demanding career with a busy travel schedule, Taylor is a devoted parent, determined to avoid the mistakes his own father made. The family lives on a large suburban estate near Little Rock.

Sources

Periodicals

Arkansas Business, August 8, 2005, pp. 1-3; November 21, 2005, pp. 26-7.

Jet, January 8, 2001, p. 49; August 8, 2005, p. 50; December 19, 2005, p. 62. Sports Illustrated, July 25, 2005, p. 87; December 12, 2005, p. 134; June 26, 2006, p. 93.

On-line

"Jermain Bad Intentions Taylor," Jermain Taylor,http://jermaintaylor.com/ (March 2, 2007).

"Jermain Taylor," HBO,www.hbo.com/boxing/fighters/taylor_jermain/bio.html (March 3, 2007).

"Jermain Taylor: Persistence Pays Off," Review-Journal,www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Jul-13-Wed-2005/sports/26873472.html (March 3, 2007).

"Jermain Taylor," Ringwork: Boxing's Best News and Gear, www.ringwork.com/Bios.aspx?BioBoxer=58 (March 2, 2007).

"Larry Merchant Post Fight Interview: Jermain Taylor," HBO,www.hbo.com/boxing/events/2006/0617_taylor_wright/columns/merchant_interview_taylor.html (March 2, 2007).

"Stuttering Clinic Hosts Boxing Great Jermain Taylor," Medical News of Arkansas,http://arkansas.medicalnewsinc.com/news.php?viewStory=385 (March 3, 2007).

"Taylor Made: Jermain ‘Bad Intentions’ Taylor," Everlast,www.everlastboxing.com/articles/jermain-taylor-interview.html (March 3, 2007).

                                                                —Tina Gianoulis