Mike Weaver (boxer)

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	(1951-06-13) 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.

Notable Wins

• 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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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.)

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

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

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

After retiring from boxing, Weaver worked for the US Postal Service. He has three daughters: Shanrika, Krystle, and AunJenelle Weaver.

Professional boxing record

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

External links

• Professional boxing record for Mike Weaver from BoxRec

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