Jermain Taylor defeats Jesse Nicklow December 30th!!!

Taylor moves to 29-4-1 (18KO) with his first win in more than three years! After a 26 month absence from fighting, Jermain's return to the ring in a Showtime-televised main event was held at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon, California.

Follow Jermain on Twitter for the latest news.

Taylor subdues Nicklow in 8th

By ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
This article was published December 31, 2011 at 4:30 a.m.

CABAZON, Calif. — Jermain Taylor’s longest layoff from boxing finally came to an end Friday night.

Although the fighter from Little Rock admitted to being rusty after 26 months away from the ring, a strong right hand 27 seconds into the eighth round against Jessie Nicklow convinced referee Ray Corona to stop the fight, giving Taylor the victory by technical knockout.

"I got the job done," said Taylor (29-4-1, 18 KOs), who hadn’t been in a ring since being knocked out by Arthur Abraham on Oct. 17, 2009, in Berlin.

That loss sent Taylor to a German hospital because of a severe concussion and bleeding on the brain. What followed was more than two years of uncertainty for a fighter who once held the world middleweight title but had lost four of his previous five fights, three by knockout.

Reunited with promoter Lou DiBella and trainer Pat Burns, and competing at 160 pounds, a weight class at which he enjoyed his most success, Taylor relied on his trademark jab even more Friday night after he said he injured his right hand early in the fight.

Taylor used his significant size and reach advantage against Nicklow (22-3-3, 8 KOs) and was able to end the fight before showing any signs of the fatigue he had shown in his most recent fights. Each of Taylor’s two previous fights ended in a 12th-round knockout.

Taylor bloodied Nicklow’s nose at the end of the third round and blood trickled down the Maryland club fighter’s face in each of the following rounds.

When Taylor landed a right hand early in the eighth round, then a left as he forced Nicklow back into a corner, Corona stopped the fight as Nicklow protested the decision. Boos followed from those at the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa as Taylor’s name was announced as a winner for the first time in more than three years.

Taylor credited Nicklow afterward, saying he "came to fight tonight."

"I felt rusty, but as the rounds went on I felt comfortable," Taylor said. "I was trying to have fun in there."

Taylor’s comeback could have ended in disappointing fashion at the end of the sixth round. After the bell had sounded, Taylor threw a punch that connected with Nicklow’s face and Corona docked Taylor a point.

Taylor apologized for the illegal punch, saying he became frustrated by Nicklow leading with his head.

"It’ll never happen again," Taylor said. "I’m sorry to all my friends back in Arkansas, that’s not the type of guy I am."

Taylor added that he will fight again, but he wasn’t ready to say when.

"I’m ready for whoever," he said. "I don’t care about a timetable."

Jermain Taylor To Face Jesse Nicklow on December 30th!!!

Posted by: Showtime on 11/3/2011.

On Friday, Dec. 30, former undisputed 160-pound world champion Jermain Taylor returns to the ring and the middleweight division when he faces 24-year-old Jesse "Beast" Nicklow of Baltimore, Md., in the main event of a special edition of ShoBox: The New Generation, live at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Click here for the full article.