Boxer Maynard won gold on night of mixed emotions

Here is his account, which ran Oct. 2, 1988:

SEOUL -- Andrew Maynard wanted to be ecstatic. He wanted to enjoy the grandest day of his athletic life.

He wanted to celebrate his 5-0 victory over Nourmagomed Chanavazov of the Soviet Union for the light-heavyweight gold medal Saturday night (MDT) at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

But he couldn't.

``I'm sorry, but I just can't feel too happy right now,'' Maynard said somberly after receiving the gold medal he sought for three years.

``I don't know what it actually feels like yet.''

Maynard, the 24-year-old Army cook from Colorado Springs, felt the mixed emotions because his Olympic roommate and close friend, U.S. light-middleweight Roy Jones, lost a highly controversial decision for the gold medal in the bout just before Maynard's.

Later, as charges swirled around Chamshil Students Gymnasium of a possible bribe by South Korean officials to ensure Jones' defeat, Maynard entered the interview room and spent more than a minute tearfully hugging and consoling Jones.

``Roy and I have been together for this whole trip, day and night,'' Maynard said. ``We talked a lot and shared a lot. I'm just trying to imagine what he's going through right now. Both of us fought our hearts out. He went out for his dreams, and I went out for mine. He's such a great fighter. To have all that taken away like they did, I feel terrible for him. I'm not even excited about what I did today.''

Maynard said he feared the same thing might happen to him. His bout with Chanavazov, an inside brawler, was not his best of the Games.

Maynard clearly scored better in the first two rounds, mainly with hooks to the body and uppercuts from close range. But he pulled a rib-cage muscle in the second, and that affected his punching power. He tired in the third round, which four of the five judges gave to the Soviet.

In the end, it was a close 5-0 decision. Four judges favored Maynard by just 59-58, with one giving him a 60-58 edge.

``I felt like I won, but the judges still had to give me the gold,'' said the Fort Carson boxer. ``My chin was great. I knew I could withstand the pressure. I was just worried about all the Russian's pitty-pat flurries.

``I had some doubt about the decision, because of what happened to Roy. I was afraid I might be out-tapped, not outpunched.''

When the referee raised his hand in victory, Maynard felt more relief than anything else. In the medal ceremony, he stood at solemn attention and held his right hand over his heart during the national anthem.

``This is what I've been wanting for a long time,'' said Maynard. ``I put everything I had into winning the gold medal. I did it for my wife and baby, my father, the Army and the people back home.

``I want to thank everyone back in Colorado Springs for all the support they gave me. They really believed in me, and that kept me going. Everybody at Fort Carson, and the boxing team there, I couldn't let them down.''

After returning home to Colorado, Maynard will take a two-month leave from the Army, during which time he plans to decide his future plans. He likely will leave the military in January and turn pro.

``Susan (his wife) and I have a lot to talk about,'' Maynard said, ``but I'd like to try going pro. I don't want my name to die out. I want to keep on winning.''

First, though, Maynard will pay a visit to his father, Theodore, in Maryland. ``He has a reward coming,'' Maynard said. ``I gave my father my first medal, and now I'm gonna give him my last one.

``The biggest one of all.''