Soliman fight in danger after shooting
UPDATE FRIDAY 12.30pm: Aussie Sam Soliman's first defence of his IBF middleweight title is still in jeopardy following opponent Jermain Taylor arrest over the shooting of his cousin.
Taylor, 36, a former middleweight world champion, was charged with domestic battery and aggravated assault after the shooting in Arkansas on Tuesday night (Wednesday WA time).
He was freed on $25,000 bail and given permission to travel interstate to prepare for his scheduled clash with 40-year-old Melbourne fighter Soliman in America on October 8.
The fight is set to be broadcast live on ESPN but the broadcaster has yet to decide whether it will still go ahead.
"ESPN had committed to carry the fight and was working towards a contractual agreement. We are now reviewing the situation and will make a decision once more details emerge," a statement said.
Soliman's manager David Stanley told thewest.com on Wednesday that he would await further developments.
"We will wait and see what happens. As far as we're concerned the fight is still on until we're told otherwise. We will know a lot more in the next 48 hours," he said.
USA Today said a spokesman for the sheriff's department said the cousin and another man went to Taylor's home in Little Rock early in the evening and an altercation ensued.
It says several shots were fired and Taylor's cousin was "struck two or three times". It said Taylor's wife had called police to report an intruder.
Taylor spent the night in the Pulaski Country Detention Center before appearing before a judge on Wednesday morning local time, where a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
