Jermain Taylor was expected to arrive in Miami late Friday to begin training for his Oct. 8 fight in Biloxi, Miss., against Sam Soliman of Australia for the IBF middleweight championship.
Taylor, 36, arrives in Miami three days after being arrested in Little Rock, Ark., for shooting his cousin, Tyrone Hinton, in a domestic dispute at his home in Maumelle, Ark. Hinton remains hospitalized, but is expected to survive his injuries.
Taylor’s trainer Pat Burns said he has spoken with Taylor three times since the incident, and expects his fighter to be ready physically and mentally for the five-week camp despite the tragedy.
“We had a very long right-to-the-point discussion,” Burns told The Post. “He’s going to be great. I don’t worry about that. He’s always mentally ready to go. We’re going to use this unfortunate situation and embrace it. It’s going to work as a motivator. He’s raring to go.”
According to sources in Little Rock, Hinton called Taylor on Wednesday to apologize for what led to the shooting Tuesday night. Sources in Little Rock said Hinton recently attended a drug rehab facility for what was described as “hard-core” drugs, including crack. Taylor had offered his cousin financial support in the past, but stopped when the cousin’s drug habits continued.
Hinton came to Taylor’s house on Tuesday night belligerent and demanding money, sources said. Taylor’s wife and young children were in the house. When Taylor sensed things might get out of control, he retrieved his gun.
Taylor told police he first fired the gun in the air twice to scare his cousin away. But when the 41-year old Hinton became aggressive Taylor said he was forced to shoot. Hinton was shot five times, according to reports, with four of the bullets going through his body while a fifth lodged in his pelvis.
Taylor was arrested without incident and charged with two felonies, first-degree domestic battery and aggravated assault. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf and he was released on $25,000 bond. The judge rescinded his passport, but allowed him to go to Miami to train for his upcoming fight, which will be televised on ESPN2.
“He’s in pretty good shape,” Burns said of Taylor. “He’s been running real hard and doing the maintenance program. I’m not messing around. We’re going to start sparring on Wednesday. Usually it takes you two weeks before you’re first sparring sessions.”
The Taylor camp is hoping the charges will be dropped. The brother of the man shot by Taylor has said he will not press charges.
“We’ll work it out as a family,” Kevin Hinton told reporters in Little Rock.
It’s has been difficult time for Taylor, who was the middleweight champion in 2005-07. His mother is battling cancer.
His biological father passed away. He no longer associates with Ozell Nelson, the father-like figure who introduced him to boxing and his little brother died of a seizure in the summer of 2011.
Through it all Taylor is trying to resurrect a boxing career that appeared ended when he endured a vicious knockout against Arthur Abraham in a super middleweight fight in 2009. Taylor reportedly suffered a small brain bleed, and stayed out of boxing for 26 months. But after undergoing a battery of tests at the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic, he was cleared to box again and was granted a license to fight by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He reunited with Burns, who guided him to his middleweight titles before parting. Taylor has since won four straight fights including three by knockout to improve to 32-4-1 with 20 knockouts. Soliman is 44-11 with 18 KOs.
“He’s recommitted,” Burns said. “I might be getting older, but I’m still very demanding and he has responded to it. Jermain needs structure and discipline in his life. When we’re in training camp if he does that he’s going to be just fine.”