Mike Weaver (boxer)
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Mike Weaver | |
---|---|
Statistics | |
Real name | Michael Dwayne Weaver |
Nickname(s) | Hercules |
Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
Reach | 78 in (198 cm) |
Nationality | American |
Born | Gatesville, Texas, U.S. | June 13, 1951
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 who competed from 1972 to 2000, and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1980 to 1982.
Marines[]
Weaver was a member of the United States Marine Corps from 1968 to 1971, and went to Vietnam. During this time he started amateur boxing and training.
Professional career[]
Early years[]
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.
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.
Heavyweight contender[]
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.
WBC heavyweight title challenge against Larry Holmes[]
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. Holmes would rally with that great champion reserve by decking Weaver with sharp uppercut in the 11th and in the 12th, Holmes pound Weaver with powerful rights until the referee stopped the fight.
USBA heavyweight title contest[]
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[]
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 vs. Tate produced one of the divisions finest knockouts ever. The 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, according to the commentators, 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 devastating 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.
Losing the title to Michael Dokes; controversy[]
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.
However, four weeks earlier, the fatal fight between Ray Mancini and Duk Koo Kim at Caesars' Palace had taken place where Kim died as a result of a brain injury. On the morning of the fight, Nevada State Athletic Commission officials warned all officials participating in the card to protect the health of the boxers in order to avoid another potential fight-related fatality, which Curtis responded, "Everybody has Duk Koo Kim in the back of his mind," referring to the November 13 fight, as Dr. Lonnie Hammargren, a doctor who had performed brain surgery in a futile attempt to save Kim, attended the meeting.[1] (ESPN later ranked this the #7 worst bad call by a referee in a fight, doing so in 2008.[2])
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.
Further title challenges and later career[]
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.
Professional boxing record[]
60 fights | 41 wins | 18 losses |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 28 | 12 |
By decision | 12 | 6 |
By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
Draws | 1 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
60 | Loss | 41–18–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 6 (10), 0:45 | Nov 17, 2000 | ![]() |
|
59 | Loss | 41–17–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 9 (10) | Aug 8, 1998 | ![]() |
|
58 | Win | 41–16–1 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Mar 27, 1996 | ![]() |
|
57 | Win | 40–16–1 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Jun 21, 1995 | ![]() |
Retained NBA heavyweight title |
56 | Win | 39–16–1 | ![]() |
RTD | 2 (12), 3:00 | Sep 17, 1994 | ![]() |
Won vacant NBA heavyweight title |
55 | Win | 38–16–1 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (12), 1:50 | Jun 6, 1994 | ![]() |
Won vacant International Boxing Authority heavyweight title |
54 | Win | 37–16–1 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Feb 27, 1993 | ![]() |
NBA heavyweight title |
53 | Win | 36–16–1 | ![]() |
KO | 5 (10) | Nov 17, 1992 | ![]() |
|
52 | Loss | 35–16–1 | ![]() |
KO | 6 (10), 1:05 | Jul 12, 1991 | ![]() |
|
51 | Win | 35–15–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 (10), 2:58 | Jul 18, 1990 | ![]() |
|
50 | Loss | 34–15–1 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Apr 4, 1990 | ![]() |
Lost WBA Americas heavyweight title |
49 | Win | 34–14–1 | ![]() |
SD | 12 | Jul 27, 1989 | ![]() |
Retained WBA Americas heavyweight title |
48 | Win | 33–14–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (12), 1:48 | May 1, 1989 | ![]() |
For vacant WBA Americas heavyweight title |
47 | Win | 32–14–1 | ![]() |
KO | 3 (10), 2:58 | Jan 31, 1989 | ![]() |
|
46 | Loss | 31–14–1 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (10) | Apr 30, 1988 | ![]() |
|
45 | Win | 31–13–1 | ![]() |
RTD | 6 (10) | Nov 28, 1987 | ![]() |
|
44 | Win | 30–13–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 6 (10), 2:30 | Aug 24, 1987 | ![]() |
|
43 | Win | 29–13–1 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (10) | Jul 29, 1987 | ![]() |
|
42 | Loss | 28–13–1 | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Aug 23, 1986 | ![]() |
|
41 | Loss | 28–12–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (10), 2:29 | Apr 5, 1986 | ![]() |
|
40 | Win | 28–11–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (10), 2:37 | Feb 16, 1986 | ![]() |
|
39 | Loss | 27–11–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 8 (12), 1:42 | Jun 15, 1985 | ![]() |
For WBC heavyweight title |
38 | Win | 27–10–1 | ![]() |
DQ | 1 (10), 3:00 | Nov 9, 1984 | ![]() |
Anthony disqualified for hitting after the bell |
37 | Win | 26–10–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 7 (10), 1:16 | Aug 31, 1984 | ![]() |
|
36 | Win | 25–10–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 9 (15) | Sep 30, 1983 | ![]() |
|
35 | Draw | 24–10–1 | ![]() |
MD | 15 | May 20, 1983 | ![]() |
For WBA heavyweight title |
34 | Loss | 24–10 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (15), 1:03 | Dec 10, 1982 | ![]() |
Lost WBA heavyweight title |
33 | Win | 24–9 | ![]() |
UD | 15 | Oct 3, 1981 | ![]() |
Retained WBA heavyweight title |
32 | Win | 23–9 | ![]() |
TKO | 13 (15), 1:49 | Oct 25, 1980 | ![]() |
Retained WBA heavyweight title |
31 | Win | 22–9 | ![]() |
KO | 15 (15), 2:15 | Mar 31, 1980 | ![]() |
Won WBA heavyweight title |
30 | Win | 21–9 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Nov 24, 1979 | ![]() |
Retained USBA heavyweight title |
29 | Win | 20–9 | ![]() |
KO | 4 (10), 2:14 | Sep 22, 1979 | ![]() |
|
28 | Loss | 19–9 | ![]() |
TKO | 12 (15), 0:44 | Jun 22, 1979 | ![]() |
For WBC heavyweight title |
27 | Win | 19–8 | ![]() |
KO | 4 (10), 1:52 | Mar 2, 1979 | ![]() |
|
26 | Win | 18–8 | ![]() |
RTD | 9 (12), 0:01 | Jan 18, 1979 | ![]() |
Won inaugural USBA heavyweight title |
25 | Win | 17–8 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (10), 2:33 | Dec 5, 1978 | ![]() |
|
24 | Win | 16–8 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 (10) | Oct 22, 1978 | ![]() |
Won vacant Nevada heavyweight title |
23 | Win | 15–8 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (10), 1:44 | Sep 17, 1978 | ![]() |
|
22 | Loss | 14–8 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Aug 19, 1978 | ![]() |
For vacant NABF heavyweight title |
21 | Loss | 14–7 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Jan 24, 1978 | ![]() |
For vacant California heavyweight title |
20 | Win | 14–6 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Nov 15, 1977 | ![]() |
|
19 | Win | 13–6 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (10) | Sep 13, 1977 | ![]() |
|
18 | Win | 12–6 | ![]() |
MD | 10 | Apr 1, 1977 | ![]() |
|
17 | Win | 11–6 | ![]() |
KO | 8 (10), 2:58 | Jan 19, 1977 | ![]() |
|
16 | Win | 10–6 | ![]() |
KO | 6 (10) | Nov 4, 1976 | ![]() |
|
15 | Win | 9–6 | ![]() |
MD | 10 | Jul 14, 1976 | ![]() |
|
14 | Win | 8–6 | ![]() |
TKO | 9 (10), 2:13 | Jun 27, 1975 | ![]() |
|
13 | Win | 7–6 | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | Aug 24, 1974 | ![]() |
|
12 | Loss | 6–6 | ![]() |
TKO | 7 (10) | Jul 26, 1974 | ![]() |
|
11 | Win | 6–5 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (8), 0:57 | May 31, 1974 | ![]() |
|
10 | Loss | 5–5 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Mar 22, 1974 | ![]() |
|
9 | Win | 5–4 | ![]() |
PTS | 6 | Feb 21, 1974 | ![]() |
|
8 | Loss | 4–4 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (6), 2:15 | Dec 11, 1973 | ![]() |
|
7 | Win | 4–3 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (6) | Nov 9, 1973 | ![]() |
|
6 | Win | 3–3 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (6) | Oct 11, 1973 | ![]() |
|
5 | Win | 2–3 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (6), 1:30 | Sep 10, 1973 | ![]() |
|
4 | Loss | 1–3 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (4), 1:55 | Feb 28, 1973 | ![]() |
|
3 | Win | 1–2 | ![]() |
PTS | 5 | Feb 2, 1973 | ![]() |
|
2 | Loss | 0–2 | ![]() |
PTS | 5 | Oct 31, 1972 | ![]() |
|
1 | Loss | 0–1 | ![]() |
KO | 3 (4) | Sep 14, 1972 | ![]() |
References[]
- ^ Katz, Michael (1982-12-12). "Referee Defends His Decision". New York Times (1982–12–12). NYT. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
- ^ "Cortez not the first referee to drop the ball in a big fight". ESPN.com.
External links[]
- 1951 births
- Living people
- People from Gatesville, Texas
- Boxers from Texas
- World heavyweight boxing champions
- World Boxing Association champions
- United States Marines
- American male boxers
- United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War