Jermain Taylor Stripped of IBF Middleweight Title: Latest Details and Reaction

Jermain Taylor has been striped of his middleweight championship due to legal issues that have prevented him from defending his title. A psychiatrist has suggested he receives psychiatric care due to his "frat-boy mentality".  

Continue for updates.

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Psychiatrist Says Taylor Could be Released With Conditions

Wednesday, Feb. 11

The psychiatrist who evaluated Jermain Taylor has said that the boxer could be released, provided he meets certain conditions, according to the Associated Press:

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Boxer Jermain Taylor, who is facing charges in two gun-related incidents, could be released on bond but made to wear an ankle monitor, get counseling and submit to random drug and alcohol testing, according to a psychiatrist who evaluated him at his attorneys' request.

Pulaski County judge Leon Johnson said Tuesday that he'll wait to decide if the champion middleweight boxer can go home until state doctors have finished their evaluation of his mental state. Taylor was scheduled to undergo neurological testing Wednesday.

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On Feb. 10, Jermain Taylor was suggested to undergo psychiatric care, per Steve Barnes of Reuters (h/t Yahoo Sports):

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Former world middleweight champion Jermain Taylor, who is facing assault charges in two gun-related incidents, should receive psychiatric care and be monitored for substance abuse in lieu of incarceration, a psychiatrist told a court hearing on Tuesday.

In an interim report to a state judge, psychiatrist David Street said Taylor, 36, had impulse issues and "a frat-boy mentality" but had been cooperating with doctors and expressed a willingness to conquer his problems.

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According to the report, Taylor has been receiving court-ordered psychiatric evaluation and will be there until at least April 27.

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Taylor Stripped of IBF Middleweight Title

Friday, Feb. 6

The International Boxing Federation confirmed Jermain Taylor has been removed as its middleweight champion because legal issues have prevented him from defending the title.

Jake Donovan of Boxing Scene reports the jailed boxer hasn't been able to fight since winning the belt from Sam Soliman in October. He passed along comments from IBF championship chairman Lindsay Tucker, who confirmed the decision.

"We had to vacate the title," Tucker said. "We will be going down the list of challengers to fill the vacancy."

ESPN's Dan Rafael provided more details on the decision:

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In stripping Taylor of its title, the IBF invoked its rule 5.C., which says, in part, "Any boxer who is ill, injured, under a legal impediment which would prevent the bout from taking place, or on suspension at the time the championships chairman and president order a bout under this rule shall be considered unavailable.

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Rafael also reported on where the title will go from here:

The Boxing Scene report also included the latest on Taylor's legal troubles:

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Plans to return to the Gulf Coast were violently disrupted due to his latest run-in with the law, when he was arrested on a slew of charges stemming from his disturbing behavior during a Martin Luther King Jr. parade in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas.

Taylor was initially freed on bail, but the criminal charges were in violation of the terms of his previous release following a domestic shooting in his home last August. The latest arrest resulted in a bond revocation, forcing his surrender to Pulaski County authorities on January 21.

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At this point, it's impossible to guess what the future may hold for Taylor. The 36-year-old fighter has shown he can still put together some strong performances in the ring. He must deal with far bigger issues before any further boxing opportunities arise, though.

He holds a 33-4-1 career record and won his latest five fights before the incident. His absence from the middleweight scene does open up a golden opportunity for N'Dam N'Jikam, who's 31-1 and a former WBO champion in the division.