[Simi Valley, CA] The Retired Boxers Foundation spoke to Andrew Maynard this afternoon at his home in Harlingen, Texas, hard hit last week by Hurricane Dolly. Andrew’s home is fine, but it’s the gym he worries about and the kids who now have no place to go. When asked what he needs to keep the place open, Maynard said, “4 pairs of 16 ounce gloves and a half dozen jump ropes.” His building, which is nothing to look at, flooded and everything on the ground was ruined. When asked about heavy bags or speed bags, he said, “Nope…they were hanging and they are fine.” The owner of the building has dried out the 4 inches of water that covered the entire gym, and removed the old carpeting. Both Maynard and the landlord are praying that the insurance will pay for new carpeting. If not, they will stay open without carpeting.
Andrew told me that his mission is to help these poor boys. He said if someone hadn’t stepped forward to help him and get him into boxing, he might be dead like a lot of his old friends. He doesn’t want anything bad to happen to these kids, so he needs a little help. What amazed us is the humility of this once great champion and the fact that his needs are very small. We would like to see the boxing community rally around Andrew and his kids. If everybody sent a $20 or a $10 or even a $5, along with a note of encouragement, he would be back on his feet at the gym and maybe even get some “of that fancy stuff” like hand wraps, new head gear, etc. The Retired Boxers Foundation will be making an appeal to manufacturer’s to get the gloves and the jump ropes donated, or at the very least, buy some factory “seconds” so the kids can get back to work.
If you want to help Andrew, you can send donations to him at: 516 West Van Buren, Harlingen, Texas 78550. If you want a tax deduction, the Retired Boxers Foundation is an IRS 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation and your donations are tax deductible. 100% of all funds designated for Andrew Maynard’s gym, will be forwarded to him. If you want the tax deduction, you must make the check payable to the Retired Boxers Foundation and we will send a money order or certified check to Andrew. You can either send donations via Pay Pal from our website at www.retiredboxers.org, or you can mail them to: RETIRED BOXERS FOUNDATION, 3359 Bryan Avenue, Simi Valley, CA 93063.
RETIRED BOXERS FOUNDATION BIO OF ANDREW MAYNARD, AS TOLD TO JACQUIE RICHARDSON, EXEC. DIRECTOR OF THE RBF, BY ANDREW HIMSELF:
Retired Boxers Foundation Checks In
On 1988 Olympic Gold Medalist Andrew Maynard
By Jacquie Richardson, Executive Director, Retired Boxers Foundation, Inc.
[Simi Valley, CA] It has been said that the only thing bigger than Andrew Maynard’s smile is his heart. Andrew always had a way of “digging deep” in that warrior’s heart to overcome whatever obstacles were in his path-whether it was growing up in poverty in a drug and crime infested neighborhood or pursuing impressive athletic feats like winning the Gold Medal at the 1988 Olympics with little or no boxing experience prior to enlisting in the United States Army. In fact, Andrew decided to win an Olympic Gold Medal to honor his father, Theodore “Slim” Maynard.
Andrew visited Sugar Ray Leonard at his home to tell him of his intention of winning the Gold to honor his dad, asking Leonard for advice. Leonard was blunt, telling Andrew Maynard that boxers start around age 10 or 11 and that it was too late for Andrew, close to 20 years old, to think about boxing in the Olympics or as a career. That did not deter Andrew and he simply had more to prove-that he would win the gold and that Ray Leonard would take him seriously.
Three years after joining the Army, Andrew became the United States National Amateur Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion in 1987 an 1988. He was one of only two Americans to defeat his Cuban opponent in a special international competition held between the two countries. Interestingly enough, the Retired Boxers Foundation Founder and President, Alex Ramos, also found victory over the Cubans when he fought in 1979. In the Olympic Tryouts, Maynard first lost to Al Cole, then beat him on two consecutive nights in the Olympic Box offs, securing him a pace on the 1988 United States Boxing Team. In Seoul, Korea, Maynard went on to capture the Olympic Gold Medal as a Light Heavyweight, defeating the Soviet Union’s Nourmagomed Chanavazov by score of 5-0. Andrew Maynard averaged 150 punches per round on his way to achieving the highest honor in amateur boxing. In addition to Ice John Scully, Andrew also fought in the amateur ranks along side Roy Jones, Jr., who lost in a controversial bout in the Olympics just prior to Andrew’s bout. Ice Scully and Andrew became friends at the Olympic Training camp in Lake Placid, New York in 1987 while training to fight in an International competition. Ice told Alex Ramos that he was one of only two Caucasians in that US Olympic Boxing training camp and if Andrew had not befriended him, he would have remained an outsider. Andrew was “The Man” in those days and Ice Scully was taken back by his openness and his friendship. It is something he never forgot and they remain close friends today.
After winning the Gold Medal, Andrew convinced Sugar Ray Leonard that he was a young man with potential and he signed with Sugar Ray Leonard and moved to Laurel, Maryland. As a professional boxer, Andrew Maynard won his first 12 fights, including 10 by knockout. His classic “KO” of Arthur Hall in 1989 is featured on “Boxing’s Greatest Hits.” In his 10th bout, he won the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Light Heavyweight Title by a decision against Mike Sedillo, defending the NABF Title three times.
Andrew fought for the World Boxing Council (WBC) World Cruiserweight Title in October 1992 in Paris, France where he lost an extremely close decision to veteran champion, Anaclet Wamba. It was an exciting fight with Andrew getting up from a first round knock-down to fight eleven more rounds giving Wamba a real fight to retain his belt. After that fight, the French fans warmly embraced Andrew even while Wamba was taken to the hospital with broken ribs. Andrew ended his professional career with 25 wins-21 knockouts, 13 losses and one draw.
Andrew now resides in Harlingen, Texas, where he operates a boxing gym for indigent kids. No one pays to work out at the gym, but they have to work hard and show respect, which are two important lessons in anyone’s life.
ABOUT ANDREW MAYNARD (courtesy of Box.Rec.com)
Name: Andrew Maynard
Career Record: won 26 (KO 21) + lost 13 (KO 9) + drawn 1 = 40
rounds boxed 238 : KO% 52.5
Nationality: US American
Hometown: Laurel, Maryland, USA
Born: 1964-04-08
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 6′ 1″
Manager: Sugar Ray Leonard
Amateur Highlights
• 1987 United States Amateur Light Heavyweight Champion
• 1988 United States Amateur Light Heavyweight Champion
• Won the Light Heavyweight Gold Medal for the United States at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Results were:
o First round bye
o Defeated Mikaele Masoe (Samoa) RSC 2
o Defeated Lajos Eros (Hungary) 5-0
o Defeated Henryk Petrich (Poland) TKO 3
o Defeated Nurmagomed Shanavazov (Soviet Union) 5-0
Retrieved from “http://www.boxrec.com/media/index.php/Andrew_Maynard”
For more information on the RETIRED BOXERS FOUNDATION, visit our site at www.retiredboxers.org. Founded by Alex “The Bronx Bomber” Ramos with a mission to assist retired professional boxers in the transition from their glorious days in the ring to a dignified retirement.