According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Jermain Taylor has been stripped of his Middleweight championship due to his legal issues of the last couple months.
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.”
On Monday, the IBF would have ordered his mandatory defense against former titlist Hassan N’Dam. Because Taylor is in police custody and unavailable, his handlers cannot negotiate the bout, which would have also caused the IBF to vacate the title.
“The IBF wishes Jermain the best of luck and hopes that he is able to resolve these matters quickly,” IBF president Daryl Peoples said in a statement. “Jermain Taylor’s promoter, Lou DiBella, was advised to notify the organization when Mr. Taylor resumes his boxing career.”
“I have not even a thought into the future of his boxing career or whether he retains the title,” DiBella said. “It’s about whether he can maintain control over his own life.”
