Andrew Maynard (born April 8, 1964) is an American former
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
Andrew Maynard, a 1982 graduate of Suitland High School in Prince George’s County, Maryland, joined the National Guard in 1985 after having competed in a limited number of amateur boxing contests in the year prior. Maynard underwent his basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey.
Encouraged to join by his wife, Susan, he enlisted in the United States Army in the winter of 1986 where he engaged in boxing while assigned to be a cook stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado.
Maynard was later reassigned to special duty with the Fort Carson boxing team after receiving the approval of his company commander to pursue his goal of competing in the 1988 Summer Olympics. Maynard’s final military rank was specialist.
Amateur career
As an amateur boxer, Maynard was a relentless pressure fighter — often throwing 1,000 punches per bout.
He began his amateur career in the fall of 1984, surprising many onlookers as he won four consecutive bouts in a well-established amateur boxing tournament at the Ohio State Fair.
Maynard was the 1987 and 1988
United States Amateur Boxing Champion
United may refer to:
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in the Light Heavyweight division (178 lbs.). He won the Bronze Medal at the 1987 Pan American Games, where he first burst into international prominence beating up on Cuban world champion Pablo Romero only to collapse in the second round without being hit. Later, Maynard acknowledged that he had suffered a broken ankle during a pickup basketball game the day before the Romero bout but didn't tell anybody about it. "I figure that I owed myself some kind of a gold medal after that situation," he said. So, at the 1988 Summer Olympics, Maynard methodically avoided all basketball courts in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
.
Pan Am Box-Offs (178 lbs.), International Center of
the Broadmoor
The Broadmoor (stylized as THE BRODMOOR) is a hotel and resort in the Broadmoor neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Broadmoor is a member of Historic Hotels of America of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Its visitors h ...
, Colorado Springs, Colorado, July 1987:
* Defeated Joseph Pemberton.
In the United States Olympic Box-Offs held from July 16–17, 1988 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, Maynard had to earn a spot on the 1988 United States Olympic Boxing Team as the selected “most noteworthy opponent” by defeating fellow soldier Alfred “Ice” Cole in two bouts on consecutive nights. The judges’ scores for each respective bout was 4-1 in favor of Maynard.
He was one of three amateur boxers — the other two being Kelcie Banks (125 lbs.) and Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe (Super Hvt.) — who lost in the Olympic trials but made the 1988 United States Olympic Boxing Team by attaining two wins in the United States Olympic Box-Offs.
Prior to competing in the United States Olympic Box-Offs, and since 1986, Maynard had won nine of ten boxing competitions — including the two national championships and an armed forces championship. Subsequently, and deservedly so, the determined 24-year-old had developed a reputation as one of the United States’ best amateur boxers at that point in time with a relatively limited but deceiving 35-5 amateur boxing record.
Maynard went on to win the Light Heavyweight Gold Medal for the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea — averaging an overwhelming 150 punches per round and culminating in the shutout of Nurmagomed Shanavazov, his Russian opponent, on points in the gold medal bout. He dedicated his gold medal win in honor of his father, Theodore “Slim” Maynard.
This was a rematch between Maynard and Shanavazov, who competed against each other in the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Heavyweight Invitational held in June of 2017 in Richmond, Virginia. In their first encounter, an action-packed battle, Maynard beat Shanavazov by a 2-1 decision. And in Shanavazov, the American beat an opponent who was the European champion and the World Cup champion in 1985 as well as the Goodwill Games champion in 1986.
Going on to obtain the highest prize in amateur boxing in Seoul was an amazing achievement for a boxer who picked up the gloves to train only four years earlier.
Results were:
*First round bye
*Defeated Mikaele Masoe (American Samoa) RSC 2
*Defeated Lajos Erős (Hungary) 5-0
*Defeated Henryk Petrich (Poland) TKO 3
*Defeated Nurmagomed Shanavazov (Soviet Union) 5-0.
Maynard worked on the inside against Shanavazov throughout the gold medal bout, with both fighters leaning against each other, and was relentless in beating the Russian to the punch. He was successful in repeatedly throwing left hooks to the body in the first two rounds, while landing a hard right to the head of Shanavazov in the final round.
The light heavyweight competition in the 1988 Summer Olympics included boxers representing 26 countries.
Along with “King” Kennedy McKinney (Bantamweight division) and “Merciless” Ray Mercer (Heavyweight division), Maynard was one of three Americans to capture gold for the 1988 United States Olympic Boxing Team in Seoul. He was the first American to win the Light Heavyweight Gold Medal since Leon Spinks in 1976. Maynard is one of seven Americans to win the Light Heavyweight Gold Medal in the history of the Olympic Games, including Muhammad Ali in 1960.
Maynard received a hero’s welcome immediately upon his return to his home state of Maryland, as he was honored along with other Marylanders who participated in the 1988 Summer Olympics by both the governor of Maryland and the Maryland General Assembly at public ceremonies held at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland.
Professional career
Following the Olympics, Maynard made the decision to move to Laurel, Maryland where he began his professional career by signing with the management team of “Sugar” Ray Leonard and Mike Trainer.
Maynard was one of five Olympic medalists making their professional debuts on February 24, 1989 in a boxing card held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He knocked out Zack Worthy at 2:49 of the first round.
Maynard, competing in the light heavyweight division (175 lbs), quickly became known for his hard hitting along with his outgoing personality and trademark smile. Maynard’s classic one-punch “KO” of Arthur “Butch” Hall in August of 1989, a punch described in the live telecast as a “freight train right”, was featured on a video of “Boxing’s Greatest Hits.” His boxing monikers included “BAM” (“Boxing Andrew Maynard”) and “Smilin’ Drew”.
Maynard beat Mike Sedillo for the NABF Light Heavyweight Title by a majority decision on April 1, 1990 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Although knocked down twice in the sixth round, Maynard consistently landed punches with both hands throughout the 12-round bout — outpunching Sedillo by a whopping 1,046 to 355 margin.
Maynard won his first 12 bouts prior to getting stopped in the seventh round by
Bobby Czyz
Robert Edward Czyz ( ; born February 10, 1962) is an American retired boxer and commentator. Czyz was a two-division world titlist at light heavyweight and cruiserweight.
Czyz was born in Orange, New Jersey. He grew up in Wanaque, New Jersey a ...
on June 24, 1990 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His apparent shift of training styles from that of a puncher to a boxer during this period was a subject of debate and discussion.
One of his following NABF title defenses of particular note came in June of 1991 against Ed “Mac Attack” Mack (13-1-1), with Maynard eventually stopping the game Philadelphian at 2:41 of the tenth round. Mack, who had recently gained notoriety for upsetting highly regarded Booker T. Word in his last bout, was no match for his aggressive counterpart.
Maynard accumulated a six-fight winning streak, stopping former world light heavyweight champion
Matthew Saad Muhammad
Matthew Saad Muhammad (born Maxwell Antonio Loach; June 16, 1954 – May 25, 2014) was an American professional boxer who was the WBC Light Heavyweight Champion of the World for two-and-a-half years.
Background
Saad Muhammad's mother died when ...
in October of 1991 after a barrage of punches thrown over a little more than two rounds and setting up a bout with Frank Tate on January 10, 1992. Tate dropped Maynard in the 11th round, prompting the referee to halt the action. Maynard lost his championship belt to Tate after having successfully defending it on four occasions.
Maynard, who fought at 178 pounds as an amateur, had difficulty adjusting to the lower 175-pound light heavyweight limit on the pro level and eventually transitioned to the cruiserweight division.
Maynard moved up to cruiserweight to challenge WBC World Cruiserweight champion
Anaclet Wamba
Anaclet Wamba (born January 6, 1960) is a Congolese-French former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1994. He held the WBC Cruiserweight title from 1990 until 1994.
Amateur career
Wamba had a notable amateur career. He represented t ...
in a title bout held in Paris, France on October 16, 1992. Knocked down in the first round, the typically slow-starting American battled back courageously and lost by a 12-round unanimous decision with one judge having the bout as close as 113-116.
The championship bout versus Wamba was Maynard’s only world title opportunity and only his second bout scheduled in the cruiserweight division. Conceding five pounds at the weigh-in which occurred the day before, Maynard traded punches throughout the bout held the next night with what appeared to be a considerably bigger opponent and was effective at times in landing shots to the body of Wamba. In a display of good sportsmanship by all, Maynard was invited to, and attended, Wamba’s victory party at the sponsor hotel and was well-received by the French fans in attendance.
After losing to Wamba, Maynard fought on in obscurity. Among his notable fights which followed were a knockout loss to
Thomas Hearns
Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 2006. Nicknamed the "Motor City Cobra", and more famously "The Hitman", Hearns's tall, slender build and oversized arms and shoulders allowe ...
and a stoppage at heavyweight to Brian Nielsen.
Maynard retired in 2000 and lives in Harlingen, Texas with his common law wife, Cynthia Ann Montgomery. For several years, Maynard served as a youth boxing trainer in Harlingen after being recruited for the position by the Harlingen Foundation for Valley Sports. For a short period of time, he worked in a public relations capacity as “Ambassador of Boxing” for USA Boxing in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Maynard is the proud father of three children.
In March 1996, the Country of Nicaragua issued a stamp in honor of Maynard and in his likeness. He was inducted into the “Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame” in 2001. Maynard was a 2016 inductee of the “Washington, D.C. Boxing Hall of Fame” and, in 2019, was one of five members of the inaugural class of Texas’ “Rio Grande Valley Boxing Hall of Fame”.
Albany, New York
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Scottsbluff, Nebraska
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, U.S.
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Denver, Colorado
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Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Scottsbluff is a city in Scotts Bluff County, in the western part of the state of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. The population was 14,436 at the 2020 census. Scottsbluff is the largest city in the Nebraska Panhand ...
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, U.S.
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Justin Fortune
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Rochester, Washington
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Torsten May
Torsten May (born September 10, 1969 in Glauchau, Saxony) is a former German boxer, who won the Light Heavyweight Gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He challenged once for the IBF cruiserweight championship in 2006.
Amateur career
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Düsseldorf
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Los Angeles, California
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Sergey Kobozev (Kostroma, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union; 20 July 1964 – 8 November 1995) was a Russian boxer, who challenged for the WBC Cruiserweight title in 1995. He is also known as a first boxer to defeat John Ruiz. He proved to be a tough ...
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Raleigh, North Carolina
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, U.S.
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Las Vegas, Nevada
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Erie, Pennsylvania
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Anaclet Wamba
Anaclet Wamba (born January 6, 1960) is a Congolese-French former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1994. He held the WBC Cruiserweight title from 1990 until 1994.
Amateur career
Wamba had a notable amateur career. He represented t ...
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Bercy
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History
Some of the oldest vestiges of human occupation in Paris were found on the territory of Bercy, dating from the late Neolithic ...
, France
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Matthew Saad Muhammad
Matthew Saad Muhammad (born Maxwell Antonio Loach; June 16, 1954 – May 25, 2014) was an American professional boxer who was the WBC Light Heavyweight Champion of the World for two-and-a-half years.
Background
Saad Muhammad's mother died when ...
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Robert Curry
Robert Samuel Curry (August 14, 1882 – November 12, 1944), was a wrestler of the early twentieth century. He was born in New York, New York.
In 1903, the National Wrestling Championships were held in the gymnasium of the New Polo A ...
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
Art Jimmerson
Arthur Jimmerson (born August 4, 1963) is an American retired boxer & mixed martial artist who competed at super middleweight, light heavyweight, and cruiserweight. As an amateur, Jimmerson was the 1983 National Golden Gloves Middleweight cham ...
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Kemper Morton
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Las Vegas, Nevada
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Las Vegas, Nevada
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West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a suburban township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from the 46,207 counted in the 2010 Census.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
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Zack Worthy
Zack or Zach may refer to:
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