1988 Olympic Light Heavyweight Gold Medal Winner, Andrew Maynard, takes on the more experienced, but less talented, Arthur "Butch" Hall. Hall had been a pro for 8 years while Maynard had only turned pro 6 months earlier! More info below...


Andrew Maynard was a very talented up and coming prospect in professional boxing. He had won the Light Heavyweight Gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in impressive fashion with 2 stoppages and then quickly turned pro the following year in 1989. Maynard had proven during the Olympics, but also in his first few fights as a pro, that he possessed a devastating right hand if he could land it. He may have only had a 6-0 record heading in against Arthur Hall but he had won every fight thus far by KO and was a clear favourite.

Arthur Hall had turned pro in 1982 and for the first 3 years of his career he fought regularly but with unimpressive results. The few fights he did win were very close calls, but in his defence, he had some very close losses as well which could of gone either way. In 1985 Hall was knocked out cold in the 1st Rd against future World Champion, Charles Williams, and took a 2 year hiatus from the sport. Hall returned to the ring in 1987 picking up an impressive draw against then undefeated and future World Title challenger, Freddie Delgado (10-0). Unfortunately that draw would be the last positive highlight of Hall's career as he would lose his next 3 fights. Hall was seen as dependable and always gave a good account of himself but was not particularly noteworthy otherwise. He didn't possess a strong punch, he wasn't overly fast and he didn't have the best chin but he did have ring smarts which enabled him to pick up a couple upset wins against undefeated fighters. In his most recent fight, Hall was on the wrong side of a split decision against Joe Frazier's nephew, Tyrone Frazier (14-1-2). He entered the fight with Maynard holding a 7-11-1 record.

For a majority of the fight, Hall circled the ring trying to box from the outside while Maynard stalked and was looking to land power shots. Maynard was never in trouble but Hall wasn't making it easy for him to score the knockout blow. In the 5th Rd Hall found himself too close to the ropes and as he came forward with a jab to try and create some space so he could circle away again, Maynard landed a devastating straight right hand on the side of the jaw dropping him like a log. The punch came from almost a crouching stance and would have been very difficult for Hall to see coming. On the way down, Maynard connected with a left hook to the forehead but the damage was already done. The ref started the 10 count but quickly called it off when he took a closer look, there was no way Hall was getting up. Hall retired from the ring following this loss.


Maynard was on his way to the top with another impressive win and less than a year later he would win the NABF Light Heavyweight title. In 1992 he would challenge for the WBC World Cruiserweight title against Anaclet Wamba, a fight in which Maynard lost by unanimous decision. Maynard's career never really recovered following the loss and although he would pick up wins here or there against lesser opponents, he never beat another name fighter for the remainder of his career. Maynard finally retired in 2000 after suffering a TKO to Gary Wilcox, leaving him with 26-13-1 record.