MIAMI—Jermain Taylor welcomed his break from boxing.

Ever since he fought as an amateur in the early 1990s, Taylor rarely was away from the sport. The gym became a constant destination as he blossomed into an Olympian and the middleweight champion.

But Taylor felt tapped out after his second consecutive loss to Kelly Pavlik on Feb. 16. Pavlik had beaten Taylor five months earlier to end his two-year middleweight reign.

“It was a hard time, and I was down on myself,” Taylor said. “I asked myself if my heart was still in boxing.”

Taylor, 30, spent ...

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