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Less than two weeks after Jermain Taylor surprisingly got a title shot at IBF middleweight champion, Sam Soliman, he's been arrested for allegedly shooting his cousin and taking aim at another individual. The incident took place yesterday evening at his home in Maumelle, Arkansas and police have charged Taylor with two felony counts of first degree domestic battery and aggravated assault.
Lt. Carl Minden of the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office said that police responded to a 911 call from Taylor's wife at around 6pm.
"Mr. Taylor's cousin and another individual came to his residence, and there was some sort of altercation," Minden said, adding that the two who showed up at Taylor's home were unarmed. "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."
Jermain was in the midst of trying to rejuvenate his career after a brutal 12th round knockout in 2009 left him with brain bleed, which obliviously put his life and career in jeopardy. He subsequently needed to take the next 26 months off, but after what was described as extensive neurological testing, he was able to reattain a license in Nevada. Since that time Jermain was able to win four consecutive bouts against rather ho-hum opponents. Apparently we don't even have a licensed image of Jermain at this point, which sort of speaks to the where he's currently at in his career, despite the title shot.
Needless to say, this clearly puts his upcoming title fight with Sam Soliman in question, where he was scheduled to headline an ESPN2 boxing special on October 8th at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.
**UPDATE**
A judge has set bail at $25,000 and granted Taylor's request to travel out of state to train and compete in the bout with Sam Soliman this October. The fight will apparently go on as scheduled.