When the “O” goes – fighters who were never the same after losing for the first time

When the “O” goes – fighters who were never the same after losing for the first time

Some fighters, be they at the start of their career, at the middle or even coming towards the end, come back stronger after suffering their very first defeat, while other fighters are never, ever the same again after tasting the pain of losing.

Great fighters such as Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Bernard Hopkins and James Toney have over the years proven how there is so much more than holding an unbeaten record in boxing; each legend returning from a loss with a vengeance. However, some fighters, a number of them closing in on greatness at the time, were all but finished, at least compared to what they had been, after losing their “O,” their prefect record.

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Jermain Taylor: How the mighty have fallen

Jermain Taylor: How the mighty have fallen

There was a time when Jermain Taylor was a great fighter, a big star, and a role model to millions; there was even a time when the Arkansas native met and spent time with the president! But those days, days that saw Taylor become the only man to twice defeat the legendary Bernard Hopkins, are a long, long time ago now.

Yesterday distressing news broke of how Taylor, retired from the ring since 2014, was arrested for, get this – allegedly biting a woman in the face. Taylor, who, it seems has taken his “Bad Intentions” fighting nickname to new heights outside of the ropes, fell foul of the law back in 2015 when he was involved in a shooting incident for which he is still serving parole.

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Jermain Taylor says he will box again

Jermain Taylor says he will box again

Former lineal Middleweight champion Jermain Taylor (33-4-1, 20KOs) has sent word to the boxing world through his lawyer Hubert Alexander that he indeed plans on making a return to the ring once his pending legal cases and Mental evaluation are squared away.

Taylor, now 37 last fought in October of last year when he defeated Sam “King” Soliman for the IBF 160 lb championship of the world. It was the second time in Taylor’s career that he had held Middleweight Gold. Taylor was stripped of that title earlier in the year after failing to defend against mandatory Sergio Mora due to allegations and arrest concerning gun-play.

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Throwing in the Towel

Throwing in the Towel

It’s July 16th 2005 in a stiflingly airless MGM Grand arena. After a scrappy, evenly contested encounter a landmark juncture in modern boxing history has been reached. A dumbfounded crowd of 12,000 have bore witness to the end of Bernard Hopkins’ historic reign of twenty straight defences as Middleweight Champion; the man to upend him is a young buck from Little Rock with a jarring jab, a follow-up right and a porous defence. These tactical observations matter little, as the new Middleweight kingpin holds aloft his hard-earned belt in one hand and his adorable kid in the other. Speaking to Larry Merchant after the bout he is respectful of Hopkins, exudes gratitude to HBO for the opportunity and initiates every answer with a deferential “Yes, Sir.” Every inch the modest all-American hero, right? The scene elapses, the audience spills into the Las Vegas night and life moves on.

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Comeback Fighter of the Year: Jermain Taylor

Comeback Fighter of the Year: Jermain Taylor

After Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor (33-4-1, 20 KOs) suffered consecutive devastating knockout losses to Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham in his one and only appearance during the Super Six World Boxing Classic Tournament in 2009 which he left due to bleeding in his brain, most boxing fans didn`t believe that he would ever fight again, let alone become a world champion for the second time.

Taylor; however, did just that when he upset Sam Soliman for the International Boxing Federation Middleweight Title in October to became my Comeback Fighter of the Year.

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Jermain Taylor faces Sergio Mora on February 6th

Jermain Taylor faces Sergio Mora on February 6th

In what should be a fairly easy fight for IBF middleweight champion Jermain Taylor (33-4, 20 KOs), he’ll be defending his IBF title on February 6th against 34-year-old former WBC junior middleweight champion Sergio Mora (27-3-2, 9 KOs) at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.

Unfortunately for the 36-year-old Taylor, he’s facing some huge legal problems that he’s got to deal with in the near future, and it’s still unclear whether he’ll be able to avoid jail time for the charges.

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Taylor defeats Soliman; Dirrell destroys Brinson

Taylor defeats Soliman; Dirrell destroys Brinson

International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight champion Sam Soliman (44-12, 18 KOs) physically fell apart and he looked every bit of his 40 years in losing to 36-year-old Jermain Taylor (44-12, 18 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, in Biloxi, Mississippi, USA.

Neither fighter looked good at all. Taylor may have won the fight, but he looked poor in comparison to the likes of Gennady Golovkin and Miguel Cotto, two of the best middleweights in the division. Soliman slipped on the wet canvas in the 7th, causing him to injure his left leg while being knocked down.

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