Former undisputed boxing middleweight champion Jermain Taylor was arrested Tuesday night at his home outside Little Rock, Ark., for allegedly shooting a relative multiple times. ESPN.com first reported the news.
A police spokesperson said Taylor, 36, was charged with first-degree domestic battery and aggravated assault for shooting a cousin and firing shots at another man. The cousin, whose name is not yet known, is in serious condition, according to police.
"Mr. Taylor's cousin and another individual came to his residence, and there was some sort of altercation," the spokesperson told ESPN. "At some point, Mr. Taylor retrieved a handgun and fired several rounds. His cousin was struck multiple times.
"The cousin is alive and in serious condition at an area hospital. He has pretty serious injuries. The other person was not struck, but Mr. Taylor had fired several rounds and missed."
Neither of the men who visited Taylor's home was armed.
Police arrived on the scene after receiving a 911 call from Taylor's wife, Erica. Taylor cooperated with police and did not resist being taken into custody.
UPDATED with video of authorities discussing arrest of Jermain Taylor: https://t.co/KAeOeiyn1X pic.twitter.com/5bUHez3iLw
— Gavin Lesnick (@glesnick) August 27, 2014
The arrest comes a couple of weeks after Taylor [32-4-1, 20 knockouts] signed to face IBF 160-pound titleholder Sam Soliman [44-11, 18 KOs]. The bout was scheduled for Oct. 8 in Biloxi, Miss.
Taylor earned a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games. He upset longtime titleholder Bernard Hopkins by split decision in July 2005 to become undisputed champion.
After the bout, Taylor voluntarily relinquished the IBF belt. He'd abandon the WBA title after defeating Hopkins in an immediate rematch. Taylor's middleweight title reign ended on Sept. 29, 2007, when Kelly Pavlik stopped him in seven rounds to claim the WBA and WBO belts.
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