Thomas Hearns vs Andrew Maynard 6.11.1993

Follow me @classicboxing on Twitter! Joe Parker makes his return tonight after 2 disappointing losses in a row, another loss could spell disaster for his dream of recapturing a World title. Now if we jump backward 25 years, Thomas Hearns was in a similar position himself... More info below...

Thomas Hearns was already a 6 x World Champion over 5 weight categories at this point in time and without a doubt a living legend. Having started his career back in 1977 as a gangly welterweight, he quickly moved through the ranks establishing himself as a heavy hitter and elusive opponent, he used his natural size advantages over his ususlly much smaller opposition to great effect. In March 1980 he would win the vacant USBA Welterweight title and 5 months later he would win the WBA World Welterweight title by stopping long reigning Champion, Pipino Cuevas by 2nd Rd TKO. He would successfully defend the title 3 times before facing arguably his greatest rival, Sugar Ray Leonard, in a unification fight for the WBA and WBC World Welterweight titles. The fight went back and forward but unfortunately Hearns was tagged in Rd 14 and Leonard forced a TKO stoppage. Hearns remained incredibly active however, and in 1982 he won the WBC World Super Welterweight title, in 1985 he challenged Marvin Hagler for the unified World Middleweight titles but lost in one of the greatest 3 rounds ever to be witnessed in a boxing ring. Once again Hearns bounced back, winning the NABF Middleweight title in 1986, and then in March 1987 he would jump up in weight quite significantly to win the WBC World Light Heavyweight title and then 7 months later he would go back down to pick up the vacant WBC World Middleweight title, becoming the first ever fighter to win World titles in 4 weight categories. But he wasn't over! Although Hearns would lose his WBC Middleweight title in his first defence to Iran Barkley, he would pick up the inaugural WBO World Super Middleweight in 1988 in a very underrated fight with James Kinchen. Jump ahead a few years to 1991 and Hearns would move back up to light heavyweight to claim the WBA's version of the World Light Heavyweight title. Things didn't go as planned for Hearns however when he lost the title in his first defence against old foe, Iran Barkley by split decision. After the fight, Hearns underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his hand. Hearns had come back from losses before but he was wasn't getting any younger, and even with his 50-4-1 record, he needed to make a statement in his next fight with Andrew Maynard... Especially since this was his first fight at cruiserweight and people were unsure if he had the power to make it in the division.

Andrew Maynard was a former Olympic Light Heavyweight Gold Medal winner at the 1988 Summer games. He turned pro in 1989 and went undefeated in his first 12 fights which included winning the NABF Light Heavyweight title. In June 1990 he suffered an upset against Bobby Czyz getting KO'd in 7. Maynard bounced back with 6 wins in a row, defending his NABF title a couple times along the way, but then suffered another somewhat upset against former IBF World Middleweight Champion, Frank Tate, being stopped in Rd 11. It was around this time that Maynards career started to come undone. In 1992 he lost a 12 round decision to Anaclet Wamba for the WBC World Cruiserweight title, in January 1993 he lost a 10 round decision to Eric Nicoletta and then in May 1993 his corner threw in the towel against undefeated Egerton Marcus. With 2 back to back losses Maynards record was now sitting at 21-5, and although he didn't appear to be as dangerous as he once was, he was still a former World title challenger and NABF champion, so not somebody to take lightly...