Jermain Taylor Net Worth

What Is Jermain Taylor's Net Worth?

Jermain Taylor is an American former professional boxer who has a net worth of $100 thousand.

Nicknamed "Bad Intentions," Jermain Taylor reached the highest level of professional boxing when he defeated Bernard Hopkins in 2005 to become the undisputed middleweight champion. The victory ended Hopkins' decade-long reign over the division, and Taylor defeated him again in an immediate rematch.

Before turning professional, Taylor won a bronze medal for the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He began his professional career with 25 consecutive victories and successfully defended his middleweight championship against Winky Wright, Kassim Ouma, and Cory Spinks before suffering his first defeat against Kelly Pavlik in 2007.

Taylor later moved to super middleweight and suffered several damaging knockout losses before stepping away from boxing. Remarkably, he returned to the ring and regained a version of the middleweight championship by defeating Sam Soliman for the IBF title in 2014. His later career and retirement years were complicated by arrests, legal cases, and financial difficulties.

Early Life and Amateur Career

Lecester Jermain Taylor was born on August 11, 1978, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He began boxing at age 13 and quickly developed into one of the country's leading amateur fighters.

Taylor won the Under-19 national championship in 1996 and subsequently collected National Golden Gloves and Police Athletic League titles. He won a bronze medal at the 1998 Goodwill Games before qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Taylor competed as a light middleweight and won a bronze medal. After the Games, he signed with promoter Lou DiBella and prepared to turn professional.

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Professional Boxing Career

Taylor made his professional debut at Madison Square Garden in January 2001 and won by stoppage. He proceeded to build an undefeated record while defeating increasingly accomplished opponents, including former world champions Raúl Márquez and William Joppy.

His defining opportunity arrived on July 16, 2005, against Bernard Hopkins. Hopkins had ruled the middleweight division for a decade and entered the bout as one of boxing's most respected champions. Taylor won a split decision to claim the undisputed middleweight championship.

A rematch was held later that year, and Taylor defeated Hopkins by unanimous decision. He then fought former junior middleweight champion Winky Wright to a draw in 2006 before defeating Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks.

Losses and Comeback

Taylor faced Kelly Pavlik in September 2007. Although Taylor knocked Pavlik down early, Pavlik rallied and stopped him in the seventh round. It was Taylor's first professional loss. Pavlik defeated him again in a 2008 rematch fought above the middleweight limit.

Taylor subsequently competed at super middleweight. He was ahead on the scorecards against Carl Froch in 2009 before being stopped in the closing seconds of the final round. Later that year, Arthur Abraham knocked Taylor out during the Super Six World Boxing Classic.

Concerns about Taylor's health contributed to an extended break from boxing. He returned in 2011 and put together another winning streak. On October 8, 2014, Taylor defeated Sam Soliman by unanimous decision and captured the IBF middleweight championship, completing one of the more unlikely title comebacks of his era.

His reign did not continue. The IBF stripped Taylor of the title in 2015 while he was dealing with criminal charges, and he never fought professionally again. He finished with a record of 33 wins, four losses, and one draw.

Legal and Financial Problems

Taylor's life after his championship peak included a series of serious legal incidents. In 2014, he was arrested after his cousin was shot at Taylor's Arkansas home. Additional arrests followed, and in 2016 he received suspended sentences and probation in multiple cases rather than prison time.

Financial problems also became public. In 2023, Centennial Bank filed a foreclosure lawsuit seeking nearly $403,000 in connection with debt secured by Taylor's property. The lawsuit provided unusually concrete evidence that the former champion's finances were far removed from the multimillion-dollar purses he earned at his peak.

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