Michael Dwayne Weaver was born on July 7, 1952 in Gatesville, Texas. He was a good heavyweight boxer, he was known as Mike Weaver.
Mike was a member of the Navy Marine Corps from 1968 to 1971 and went to Vietnam, during which time he got into amateur boxing and began training. His notable fight against Duane Bobick, a future amateur star outside the navy. In a fight where both men fell, Mike.
By 1972 Mike was living and training in California and turned professional boxing. In the beginning, Mike was considered a semi opponent. He was frequently brought up for comment in some news and fought against good contenders, and was sparring with his friend Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton, better known as Hercules.
However, after a couple of lost fights, like against Howard Smith and Larry Frazier, Mike showed signs of improvement. He fought the Bobick brothers, losing a 10-round decision at Rodnwy, and being stopped for a cut in the seventh round against Duane.
In 1976 Mike fought well against Jody Bellard, and in 1978 he lost two fights in a close decision to Stan Ward for the California state heavyweight title, and to Leroy Jones for the NABF heavyweight title.
At the end of 78 ‘Mike got a new team and manager and had a run of five knockouts in a row, two of them against higher ranked opponents. In October 1978 he rose from the ground to knock out Colombian Bernardo Mercado in the fifth, and in June 1979 he knocked out Stan Ward in the ninth to win the USBA heavyweight title.
These won fights gave him a high profile to fight for the world title against the never-defeated WBC champion Larry Holmes in New York at Madison Square Garden in June 1979. HBO broadcast the fight, ending on points.
In a sudden turn of events, the giant rock named Holmes fell several times. But in the eleventh round he managed to throw an uppercut to Mike. Although Mike had lost, the good fight he put up gave him a good name.
Later that year, he came back retaining the USBA title for a 12-round fight against Scout LeDoux. In March 1980 he was chosen as a healthy opponent to fight John Tate for his WBA title, in Knoxville Tennessee. Tate was an amateur boxer on the 1976 Olympics team. Weaver won the fight with an incredible performance and ended up falling with a left hook.
In October 1980, Weaver made his first defense of the title by traveling to Sun City in South Africa in the midst of Apartheid. Weaver’s fists were decidedly better and he ended up winning.
In 1981 a fight for a lot of money would unite Gerry Cooney was blocked by the WBA which demanded a fight against James Tillis. After a slow start Mike retained his title in October of that year.
After another year of inactivity where a defense against Randall Cobb went after Michael Dokes in Las Vegas on December 10, 1982.
In September, Mike fought Stan Ward, and beat him in the ninth round. In June 1985 Mike went against Pinklon Thomas, who had the WBC title and was recognized as the best boxer of that time. Ward knocked out Mike in the eighth round. It would be his last fight for the title.
At the age of 35 it seemed that the race was over. He lost in the first round to James Smith. He then lost to Donovan Ruddock.
In 1988 he went to fight in South Africa but was knocked out in the second round. In 1993 he managed to beat Bert Cooper in China.
Now he works in the United States Postal Service.