Mike Weaver (boxer)
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| Mike Weaver | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) | Hercules |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Reach | 78 in (198 cm) |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | June 13, 1951 Gatesville, Texas, U.S. |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 60 |
| Wins | 41 |
| Wins by KO | 28 |
| Losses | 18 |
| Draws | 1 |
Michael Dwayne Weaver (born June 13, 1951) is an American former professional boxer. Weaver fought in the heavyweight division, and is a former WBA world heavyweight champion.
Contents
[hide]Notable Wins[edit]
- Bernardo Mercado - TKO 5 (Oct 1978)
- Scott LeDoux - PTS 12 (Nov 1979)
- John Tate - KO 15 (Mar 1980)
- Gerrie Coetzee - TKO 13 (Oct 1980)
- James Tillis - PTS 15 (Oct 1981)
- Carl Williams - TKO 2 (Feb 1986)
- Johnny DuPlooy - TKO 7 (Nov 1987)
- Bert Cooper - PTS 10 (Feb 1993)
Marines[edit]
Weaver was a United States Marine Corps member from 1968 to 71, and went to Vietnam, and during this time got into amateur boxing and training. He notably fought Duane Bobick, a future amateur star out of the Navy. In a fight where both men were down, Weaver was outpointed.
Early pro career[edit]
By 1972 Weaver was living and training in California, and took up professional boxing. In his early career, Weaver was considered a journeyman opponent. He was frequently brought in on short notice and overmatched against more experienced and developed contenders, and used as a sparring partner for Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton, who famously nicknamed him "Hercules" due to his top developed muscle definition.
However after a few losses early on to tough fringe contenders like Howard Smith and even to journeyman Larry Frazier, Weaver showed signs of improvement. He fought both Bobick brothers, losing a debatable 10 round decicison to Rodney, and being stopped on a cut in the 7th to old amateur rival Duane but after decking him.
In 1976 Weaver beat well regarded veteran Jody Ballard, and in 1978 lost two close decisions. First to contender Stan Ward for the California State Heavyweight title, and then to Leroy Jones for the NABF heavyweight title.
Contender[edit]
In late 1978 Weaver got a new team and manager and reeled off five straight knockouts, two of which came over top ranked opponents. In October 1978 he came off the floor to knock out hard hitting Colombian Bernardo Mercado in 5, and in January 1979 knocked out hulking old foe Stan Ward in 9 to win the USBA heavyweight title.
World title challenge to Larry Holmes[edit]
These wins helped get him a high profile World title fight with reigning and undefeated WBC champion Larry Holmes in New York's Madison Square Garden in June 1979. New cable channel HBO bought the rights to the fight as Weaver was so lowly-regarded the fight was seen as a mismatch and the networks didn't want anything to do with it (Weaver was 20-8 to Holmes' 30-0).
But Weaver proved far better than expected, however, and gave Holmes a really tough battle. Finally Holmes would rally with that great champion reserve by decking Weaver with sharp uppercut in the 11th and stopping him on his feet in the 12th.
USBA belt contest[edit]
Although Weaver had lost, his surprise showing had made him a deserved high profile name. Later in the year he was back, retaining his USBA belt with a 12 round decision over Scott LeDoux whom he outboxed rather than slugged with. Using his jab a lot gaining complimentary reviews generally.
WBA heavyweight champion[edit]
In March 1980 fought John Tate for the WBA title, in Tate's backyard of Knoxville, Tennessee. Tate was an amateur star from the 1976 Olympic team. As a pro he had put together a 20-0 record and won the vacant WBA title by decisioning South African Gerrie Coetzee over fifteen rounds, in front of 86,000 hostile fans in Pretoria, South Africa.
Weaver v Tate produced one of the divisions finest knock outs ever. The giant taller Tate dominated Weaver for all the first 10 rounds. But then with sheer determination a battered Weaver suddenly turned it around, pushing Tate backward. But he'd left it 'too late?' noted the commentator, as only 5 rounds remained and Tate was expected to resume his lead. However with only 40 seconds left in the 15th round, Weaver caught Tate bouncing off the ropes towards him with a truly lethal left hook. It dropped Tate to the canvas out cold for well over a minute. Press pictures showed Tate sound asleep whilst Weaver did a handstand alongside to celebrate.
In October 1980 Weaver made his first defense, traveling to Sun City, South Africa, to fight Gerrie Coetzee. Weaver was hurt and nearly knocked down in the 8th round but rallied down the stretch and knocked Coetzee out in the 13th round. Coetzee a good boxer/puncher had never previously been down, amateur or pro.
In 1981 Weaver outpointed the spoiler James "Quick" Tillis over 15 rounds in Chicago to retain his title after a year's inactivity.
Vs. Michael Dokes, controversy[edit]
After another year's inactivity, Weaver took on highly regarded Michael Dokes in Las Vegas, December 10, 1982. Dokes came out fast and dropped Weaver inside the opening minute. As Weaver covered up on the ropes and Dokes missed a few swings, referee Joey Curtis stopped the fight after 1:03 had passed and awarded Dokes the victory by technical knockout. This caused controversy due to the timing of the stoppage, and many in the arena accused the fight of being fixed. The fight also occurred 28 days following the Ray Mancini-Duk Koo Kim fight in Las Vegas that resulted in Kim's death due to a brain injury and Curtis was said to have been warned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to protect the health of the boxers in order to avoid another potential fight-related fatality. (ESPN later ranked this the #7 worst bad call by a referee in a fight, doing so in 2008.[1])
Weaver was given a rematch with Dokes on May 20, 1983, which ended in a 15-round majority draw; judge Jerry Roth gave Dokes a four point victory while judges Harold Lederman and Larry Hazzard had it even.
Challenges again for title and rest of career[edit]
In June 1985 Weaver took on Pinklon Thomas, who then held the WBC title. Weaver lost by eighth-round knockout. This would be Weaver's last title challenge although a notable 2nd round KO of Carl "The Truth" Williams a skilled boxer would follow the defeat to Thomas. Weaver continued to fight for another 15 years. His career ended at the age of 49 with a sixth round KO rematch loss to Larry Holmes.
Achievements & style[edit]
Weaver proved a courageous boxer not to be overlooked with a knock out punch who improved and developed to a notable peak. His first Holmes and Tate matches being his most famous.
After boxing[edit]
After retiring from boxing, Weaver worked for the US Postal Service. He has three daughters: Shanrika, Krystle, and AunJenelle Weaver.
Professional boxing record[edit]
| 41 Wins (28 knockouts, 13 decisions), 18 Losses (12 knockouts, 6 decisions), 1 Draw [1] | |||||||
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 67-6 |  Larry "Easton Assassin" Holmes | TKO | 6 | 17/11/2000 |  Biloxi, Mississippi, United States | Referee stopped the bout at 0:45 of the sixth round. |
| Loss | 21-7-1 | Melvin "Top Gun" Foster | TKO | 9 | 08/08/1998 |  Spirit Lake, North Dakota, United States | |
| Win | 6-1-1 | Derrick Ryals | UD | 10 | 27/03/1996 |  Woodland Hills, California, United States | |
| Win | 15-15-3 | George O'Mara | UD | 12 | 21/06/1995 | Woodland Hills, California, United States | NBA Heavyweight Title. 120-108, 119-109, 118-110. |
| Win | 9-5-1 | Bill Corrigan | TKO | 2 | 17/09/1994 |  Macao, China | NBA Heavyweight Title. |
| Win | 23-16 |  Ladislao Mijangos | KO | 2 | 06/06/1994 | Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, United States | IBA World Heavyweight Title. |
| Win | 29-9 | "Smokin" Bert Cooper | UD | 10 | 27/02/1993 | Beijing, China | NBA Heavyweight Title. 98-93, 97-93, 96-94. |
| Win | 11-11-1 | Mike Gans | KO | 5 | 17/11/1992 | Bakersfield, California, United States | |
| Loss | 15-0 | Lennox "The Lion" Lewis | KO | 6 | 12/07/1991 |  Stateline, Nevada, United States | Weaver knocked out at 1:05 of the sixth round. |
| Win | 6-3 | Dion Burgess | TKO | 5 | 18/07/1990 |  Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Referee stopped the bout at 2:58 of the fifth round. |
| Loss | 23-8-1 | James "Bonecrusher" Smith | UD | 12 | 04/04/1990 |  New York City, United States | WBA Americas Heavyweight Title. 109-118, 110-117, 107-118. |
| Win | 30-4-2 | Philipp Brown | PTS | 12 | 27/07/1989 | New York City, United States | WBA Americas Heavyweight Title. |
| Win | 10-4 | Lionel "The Train" Washington | TKO | 1 | 01/05/1989 | Inglewood, California, United States | WBA Americas Heavyweight Title. |
| Win | 35-18-1 | Bobby Crabtree | KO | 3 | 31/01/1989 | Reseda, California, United States | |
| Loss | 18-1 |  Johnny DuPlooy | KO | 2 | 30/04/1988 |  Sun City, Bophuthatswana | |
| Win | 17-0 | Johnny DuPlooy | TKO | 7 | 28/11/1987 | Johannesburg, South Africa | |
| Win | 15-0-1 | James Pritchard | TKO | 6 | 24/08/1987 |  Louisville, Kentucky, United States | Referee stopped the bout at 2:30 of the sixth round. |
| Win | 19-10 | David Jaco | KO | 2 | 29/07/1987 |  Yaounde, Cameroon | |
| Loss | 12-1-1 | Donovan "Razor" Ruddock | SD | 10 | 23/08/1986 |  Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States | 93-97, 96-94, 92-98. |
| Loss | 15-5 | James "Bonecrusher" Smith | TKO | 1 | 05/04/1986 | Latham, New York, United States | Referee stopped the bout at 2:29 of the first round. |
| Win | 17-1 | Carl "The Truth" Williams | TKO | 2 | 16/02/1986 | Troy, New York, United States | Referee stopped the bout at 2:37 of the second round. |
| Loss | 25-0-1 | Pinklon Thomas | TKO | 8 | 15/06/1985 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | WBC World Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 1:42 of the eighth round. |
| Win | 16-2 | Tony "Fighting Schoolteacher" Anthony | DQ | 1 | 09/11/1984 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Anthony disqualified for hitting after the bell. |
| Win | 3-16 | Billy Joe Thomas | TKO | 7 | 31/08/1984 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Referee stopped the bout at 1:16 of the seventh round. |
| Win | 18-5-2 | Stan "Avalanche" Ward | TKO | 9 | 30/09/1983 | Inglewood, California, United States | |
| Draw | 26-0-1 | Michael "Dynamite" Dokes | PTS | 15 | 20/05/1983 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | WBA World Heavyweight Title. 143-143, 144-144, 141-145. |
| Loss | 25-0-1 | Michael "Dynamite" Dokes | TKO | 1 | 10/12/1982 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | WBA World Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 1:03 of the first round. |
| Win | 20-0 | James "Quick" Tillis | UD | 15 | 03/10/1981 |  Rosemont, Illinois, United States | WBA World Heavyweight Title. 146-142, 145-143, 147-142. |
| Win | 23-1 | Gerrie "The Bionic Hand" Coetzee | TKO | 13 | 25/10/1980 | Sun City, Bophuthatswana | WBA World Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 1:49 of the 13th round. |
| Win | 20-0 | "Big" John Tate | KO | 15 | 31/03/1980 |  Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | WBA World Heavyweight Title. Tate knocked out at 2:15 of the 15th round. |
| Win | 25-7-4 | Scott "Fighting Frenchman" LeDoux | UD | 12 | 24/11/1979 |  Bloomington, Minnesota, United States | USBA Heavyweight Title. 118-110, 117-114, 117-108. |
| Win | 12-6 | Harry Terrell | KO | 4 | 22/09/1979 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| Loss | 30-0 | Larry "Easton Assassin" Holmes | TKO | 12 | 22/06/1979 | New York City, United States | WBC World Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 0:44 of the 12th round. |
| Win | 3-4 | Oliver Philipps | KO | 4 | 02/03/1979 | Reno, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 10-2-2 | Stan "Avalanche" Ward | TKO | 9 | 18/01/1979 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | USBA Heavyweight Title. |
| Win | 0-4-1 | Abdul "Mel Rush" Khan | KO | 2 | 05/12/1978 | Reno, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 20-1 |  Bernardo Mercado | TKO | 5 | 22/10/1978 | Reno, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 1-3 | Mike Creel | KO | 2 | 17/09/1978 | Reno, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 20-0-1 | Leroy Jones | UD | 12 | 19/08/1978 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | NABF Heavyweight Title. 52-56, 53-55, 53-55. |
| Loss | 8-1-2 | Stan "Avalanche" Ward | UD | 12 | 24/01/1978 | Sacramento, California, United States | California Heavyweight Title. 113-115, 113-117, 113-117. |
| Win | 18-2-2 |  Pedro Lovell | UD | 10 | 15/11/1977 | Anaheim, California, United States | |
| Win | 1-5-1 | Dave Martinez | KO | 1 | 13/09/1977 |  Anchorage, Alaska, United States | |
| Win | 14-0 | Bill Sharkey | MD | 10 | 01/04/1977 | New York City, United States | 6-4, 5-4-1, 5-5. |
| Win | 4-3 | Dwain Bonds | KO | 9 | 19/01/1977 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 21-1 |  Fonomanu Young Sekona | KO | 6 | 04/11/1976 | San Carlos, California, United States | |
| Win | 25-7 | Jody Ballard | PTS | 10 | 14/07/1976 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 40-15-1 | "Irish" Tony Doyle | TKO | 9 | 27/06/1975 | San Diego, California, United States | |
| Win | 23-6 | Mani Vaka | PTS | 10 | 24/08/1974 |  Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Loss | 23-0 | Duane Bobick | KO | 7 | 26/07/1974 | San Diego, California, United States | |
| Win | 11-8-1 | Orville "Baby Boy" Qualls | KO | 2 | 31/05/1974 | San Diego, California, United States | |
| Loss | 25-3 | Rodney "The Bowlus Bear" Bobick | PTS | 10 | 22/03/1974 | San Diego, California, United States | |
| Win | 5-3-1 | Ellis "Kid Hercules" McKinley | PTS | 6 | 21/02/1974 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| Loss | 5-0 | "Laughing" Larry Frazier | KO | 2 | 11/12/1973 | San Francisco, California, United States | Weaver knocked out at 2:15 of the second round. |
| Win | -- | "Bouncing" Bob Swoopes | KO | 1 | 09/11/1973 | San Diego, California, United States | |
| Win | 9-2 | Tony Pulu | KO | 2 | 11/10/1973 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| Win | 4-0 | Lyn Martin | KO | 1 | 10/09/1973 | Inglewood, California, United States | |
| Loss | 4-0 | Billy "The Kid" Ryan | TKO | 2 | 28/02/1973 | Fresno, California, United States | Referee stopped the bout at 1:55 of the second round. |
| Win | -- | Carlos Lopez | PTS | 5 | 02/02/1973 | San Bernardino, California, United States | |
| Loss | 4-1 | Howard "K.O." Smith | PTS | 5 | 31/10/1972 | Bakersfield, California, United States | |
| Loss | 3-1 | Howard "K.O." Smith | KO | 3 | 14/09/1972 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
References[edit]
External links[edit]
 |
| Regional titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title | USBA Heavyweight Champion November 24, 1979 – March 31, 1980 Vacated | Vacant
Title next held by
Greg Page |
| Achievements | ||
| Preceded by John Tate | WBA Heavyweight Champion March 31, 1980 – December 10, 1982 | Succeeded by Michael Dokes |
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