With his application for a boxing license approved by Nevada, former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor is setting his sights on a return to the ring late this year, targeting a December 30 date in Arkansas. Showtime would televise, according to RingTV.com.
Taylor's return was first being considered back in August, but that date didn't wind up happening. The 33-year-old Taylor hasn't fought since his October 2009 knockout loss to Arthur Abraham in Germany, after which Taylor was hospitalized and diagnosed with a concussion, short-term memory loss, and subdural hematoma. His case was reviewed thoroughly, and he's been cleared to fight again.
Really, as we've said before, I don't think this is surprising. I always figured he'd come back when the Super Six was wrapping up. He dropped out of the tournament after the first round. I also figured Andre Dirrell would come back when the tournament was no longer an ongoing thing, and that's happening, too, whenever it does happen.
It's been said that Taylor would return as a middleweight, but he hasn't made the limit since his September 2007 loss to Kelly Pavlik, and even back then, before that fight, his team was looking to move him up to super middleweight. Whether or not Taylor can comfortably make 160 anymore remains to be seen, and what kind of fighting condition he's in, mentally and physically, is an open question, too.