# Taurus Sykes

Taurus Jabbar Sykes (born May 20, 1975) is a professional boxer. He has been fighting as a heavyweight, and has fought against several contenders, and currently holds a record of 25–6–1. He turned pro in 1998.

## Overview

Sykes, who hails from Brooklyn, is nicknamed "The Bull", due to his first name. Specifically, he hails from the Rutland Rd./the 90'z section of Brooklyn. He lost his 13th fight to unbeaten Owen Beck but that remained his only blemish on his record for a while in that he beat the likes of Israel Garcia (record 10-0), Charles Hatcher (15-2), Talmadge Griffis (21-1-3) and Sherman Williams to climb up the ladder. He drew with former Cruiser title holder Imamu Mayfield then beat Jovo Pudar (21-1) and even fringe contender Friday Ahunanya (20-2-1) in 2005. His only problem was his lack of power as only 7 of his first 25 wins have come the short route.
Undefeated KO artist Samuel Peter was the first to knock him out but lightly regarded southpaw Derek Bryant (18-4-1) also scored a TKO effectively ending any hopes of becoming a contender.
Former two-time heavyweight champ Hasim Rahman beat him in a 10-round decision. He was knocked out by IBF #1 contender Alexander Povetkin in Moscow on July 19, 2008.

## Professional boxing record

25 Wins (7 knockouts, 18 decisions), 7 Losses (4 knockouts, 3 decisions), 1 Draw :
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 19-0-1 | Seth Mitchell | KO | 5 | 11/12/2010 | Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada | Sykes knocked out at 1:42 of the fifth round. |
| Loss | 8-14-1 | Joseph Rabotte | SD | 8 | 28/10/2010 | Township Auditorium, Columbia, South Carolina | |
| Loss | 15-0 | Alexander Povetkin | TKO | 4 | 19/07/2008 | Olimpyskiy Sports Palace, Chekhov, Moscow Oblast | Referee stopped the bout at 1:43 of the fourth round. |
| Loss | 41-6-2 | Hasim Rahman | UD | 10 | 14/06/2007 | Main Street Armory, Rochester, New York | WBC NABF Heavyweight Title. |
| Win | 5-7-2 | Patrick Smith | KO | 3 | 01/12/2006 | Isleta Casino & Resort, Albuquerque, New Mexico | |
| Loss | 18-4-1 | Derek Bryant | TKO | 4 | 21/04/2006 | Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center, Augusta, Georgia | Referee stopped the bout at 1:57 of the fourth round. |
| Win | 6-4-1 | Domonic Jenkins | UD | 8 | 03/03/2006 | La Villita Assembly Hall, San Antonio, Texas | |
| Loss | 23-0 | Samuel Peter | KO | 2 | 02/07/2005 | Reno Events Center, Reno, Nevada | WBC NABF/IBF USBA/WBA NABA Heavyweight Titles. Sykes knocked out at 2:07 of the second round. |
| Win | 20-2-1 | Friday Ahunanya | UD | 12 | 11/03/2005 | Lea County Events Center, Hobbs, New Mexico | WBA NABA Heavyweight Title. |
| Win | 15-25 | Onebo Maxime | TKO | 2 | 10/12/2004 | Isleta Casino & Resort, Albuquerque, New Mexico | Referee stopped the bout at 2:22 of the second round. |
| Win | 21-1 | Jovo Pudar | UD | 10 | 21/02/2004 | City Center Pavilion, Reno, Nevada | |
| Draw | 23-4-1 | Imamu Mayfield | PTS | 10 | 07/06/2003 | Flamingo Laughlin, Laughlin, Nevada | |
| Win | 20-6-1 | Sherman "Caribbean Tank" Williams | UD | 10 | 20/10/2002 | Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma, Washington | |
| Win | 18-1-2 | James "Hurricane" Walton | MD | 10 | 07/06/2002 | Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Win | 21-1-3 | Talmadge Griffis | UD | 8 | 17/03/2002 | Gold Country Casino, Oroville, California | |
| Win | 13-12-1 | Willie Chapman | UD | 8 | 12/01/2002 | Flamingo Laughlin, Laughlin, Nevada | |
| Win | 8-11-1 | Sean Williams | UD | 6 | 13/10/2001 | Stateline, Nevada | |
| Win | 4-2-3 | Todd Diggs | UD | 6 | 28/09/2001 | Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Win | 15-2 | Charles "Buddy" Hatcher | UD | 6 | 25/08/2001 | Flamingo Laughlin, Laughlin, Nevada | |
| Win | 10-0 | Israel Carlos Garcia | UD | 6 | 29/04/2001 | Club Amazura, Jamaica, Queens | |
| Loss | 6-0 | Owen Beck | UD | 6 | 07/10/2000 | Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Connecticut | |
| Win | 10-7-2 | Larry Carlisle | UD | 6 | 29/06/2000 | Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City | |
| Win | 4-8 | Lazaro Almanza | UD | 6 | 27/04/2000 | Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City | |
| Win | 7-6 | Marcus Johnson | TKO | 4 | 31/03/2000 | Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City | |
| Win | 7-10 | Kevin Rosier | PTS | 4 | 24/02/2000 | Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City | |
| Win | 2-5 | Willie Kyles | TKO | 1 | 27/01/2000 | Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City | |
| Win | 1-3 | Michael Morrell | KO | 2 | 29/07/1999 | Atlanta, Georgia | |
| Win | 4-0 | Drexie James | KO | 6 | 18/06/1999 | Old West Palm Beach National Guard Armory, West Palm Beach, Florida | James knocked out at 2:18 of the sixth round. |
| Win | 6-14-2 | Miguel Otero Ocasio | UD | 6 | 09/04/1999 | Sons of Italy, West Palm Beach, Florida | |
| Win | 2-0 | Edward Slater | UD | 4 | 12/03/1999 | Venice Sports Center, Venice, Florida | |
| Win | -- | Essene Felciano | TKO | 3 | 20/11/1998 | Ocala Livestock Pavilion, Ocala, Florida | Referee stopped the bout at 1:22 of the third round. |
| Win | 1-1 | Eddy Martinez | UD | 4 | 07/11/1998 | Sons of Italy, Lake Worth, Florida | |
| Win | 1-4 | Sam Williams | UD | 4 | 12/09/1998 | Sons of Italy, Lake Worth, Florida | |