Jermain Taylor

Jermain Taylor won a bronze medal in light-middleweight boxing at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and then went on to a very successful professional career. As an amateur he won a bronze medal at the 1998 Goodwill Games, two Police Athletic League (PAL) titles, and two National Golden Gloves Championships.

Taylor turned pro after the Olympics and won his first 25 bouts. In 2005 he defeated Bernard Hopkins, who had been world middleweight champion for 12 years, winning the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO crowns in a single fight, the only male boxer ever to do that.

He won an immediate rematch against Hopkins and retained his crowns until 2007, when he lost a bout to Kelly Pavlik. He fought through 2009 when neurological issues him to step out of the ring, but he returned in 2011, winning five consecutive bouts to take back the IBF middleweight crown by defeating Sam Soliman. He finally retired in 2014 with a professional record of 38 wins (33 by KO), 4 losses, and 1 draw.

Outside of the ring Taylor had several problems with the law. In August 2014 he was charged with two felonies after police said he shot his cousin, but he was able to be out on bond to fight Soliman. In January 2015 he was jailed on five felony counts of aggravated assault, three felony counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, and a misdemeanor count of drug possession after he was found to have a small bag of marijuana.

In May 2016 Taylor was given a suspended sentence of 19 years to be served concurrently, effectively a six-year suspended sentence. He was also required to serve 120 hours of community service, pay court costs, and submit to regular drug screens.