Andrew Maynard

ATLANTIC CITY N.J. -- "The man really hates me, doesn't he?" Sugar Ray Leonard said late Friday night at a Trump Plaza reception for the Boxer of the Decade banquet, an honor the six-time champion would ultimately win.But Leonard seemed more concerned with the rude greeting he received from Marvelous Marvin Hagler, who had dominated the middleweight division in the 1980s until his shocking upset by Leonard in April 1987 by a controversial split decision.It...

Andrew Maynard, the former Olympic champion who knows all about lefts and rights, will find out how far he has progressed toward becoming a patient fighter when he takes on veteran Robert Curry at Painters Mill tonight.The eight-bout card gets under way at 8 p.m. with Maynard and Curry slated for 10 rounds and unbeaten Willie Gallowango (14-0) meeting Mark Buchanon (10-2) in a co-featured eight-rounder.Maynard, now living in Laurel, buzzed through his first dozen fights as a pro after earning his gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.

LAS VEGAS -- There is nothing like a devastating loss for a heavyweight contender to discover his true friends.It seemed everyone has been dumping on Tommy Morrison after his one-round knockout at the hands of Michael Bentt in Tulsa, Okla., last week.It was bad enough that the loss cost the Oklahoma native a potential $8 million payday with World Boxing Council champion Lennox Lewis at the new MGM on March 5, but now Bob Arum, president of Top Rank Inc., has severed promotional ties with Morrison.

WASHINGTON -- Andrew Maynard set his sights on WBA light-heavyweight king Tommy Hearns after stopping shopworn former champion Saad Muhammad after 20 seconds of the third round of their scheduled 10-round bout at the Convention Center.Maynard, who has lost only to Bobby Czyz in his 19 professional bouts after winning the 1988 Olympic gold medal, pummeled Muhammad, 37, from the opening bell. After Muhammad was cornered at the start of round three and caught with at least 20 unanswered blows, referee Sylvester Stevens mercifully stopped the mismatch.

WASHINGTON -- Andrew Maynard intensely stalked Ed Mack around the ring, wobbling him with vicious combinations throughout to win by a technical knockout in the 10th round last night.Maynard, who was defending his North American Boxing Federation light-heavyweight championship, was declared the winner at 2 minutes, 41 seconds of the 10th round before 1,850 at the Washington Convention Center.Maynard, the 1988 Olympic light-heavyweight gold medalist from Laurel, opened aggressively.He had Mack reeling early, pushing him up against the ropes with punishing punches to the head and bodyMaynard had Mack severely cut over both eyes by the end of five rounds, but Mack persisted, occasionally connecting with meaningful force.

WASHINGTON -- Undefeated Roy Jones, of Pensacola, Fla., a 6-to-1 favorite, won the vacant International Boxing Federation middleweight crown by a unanimous decision, but found a stubborn rival in Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins of Philadelphia.All three judges -- Al Devito, Lynne Carter and Eugene Grant, turned in identical 116-112 scorecards in favor of Jones, the 1988 Olympic silver medalist who raised his pro record to 22-0. But it was only the second time the stylish middleweight had been forced to go the distance.

Light heavyweight Andrew Maynard, the 1988 Olympic Games gold-medal winner, will make his Maryland boxing debut Jan. 24 at Painters Mill Theater in a 10-round bout against Robert Curry (23-13) of Clarksburg, W.Va.Maynard (13-1), the North American Boxing Federation champion, is managed by six-time world champion Sugar Ray Leonard and Leonard's attorney, Mike Trainer.The Laurel native was unbeaten in his first 12 pro bouts before being stopped by former 175-pound champion Bobby Cycz in Atlantic City, N.J., last June.

PALMER PARK -- Nearly a year ago, when North America Boxing Federation champion Andrew Maynard made the mistake taking Bobby Czyz lightly, not only did he get floored in the seventh round of their non-title match, but he also left with enough knots on his head that he could have donated some.But the 1988 Olympic light-heavyweight gold medalist has made amends for that setback by pummeling his next four opponents.Tuesday night at the Washington Convention Center, Maynard hopes to keep that string going in a scheduled 12-round title defense against Ed Mack scheduled to begin at approximately 10 p.m.Mack, a three-year professional from Philadelphia, made his mark when he battered top-ranked Booker T. Word to score an eighth-round victory in May. Now Mack, who also works full time at the Veterans Administration in Philadelphia because "boxing doesn't pay all my bills," has become the talk of the division.

Junius Hinton, who has undertaken the rebuilding of light-heavyweight contender Andrew Maynard of Laurel, predicts fight fans will liken the 1988 Olympic champion to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when he battles journeyman Robert Curry at Painters Mill Theatre on Thursday night."

LAS VEGAS -- Five-time world champion Thomas Hearns was concerned about his surgically repaired right hand before mounting a ring comeback last night against Andrew Maynard of Laurel in a scheduled 10-round cruiserweight bout on the undercard of the Riddick Bowe- Evander Holyfield heavyweight title rematch.Hearns need not have worried. The popular Detroit "Hit Man" needed only 2 minutes, 34 seconds of the first round before stopping Maynard, a loser in five of his past eight bouts who has the look of a shot fighter.