Larry Holmes vs. Mike Weaver was a professional match contested on June 22, 1979, for the WBC heavyweight title.
Background In late March 1979, promoter Don King announced that Larry Holmes would make the third defense of his WBC heavyweight title against little-known Mike Weaver, who had become the WBC's number-eight ranked heavyweight contender in March after a five-fight winning streak, during which he had captured the USBA heavyweight title. King announced that Madison Square Garden would host the fight, but did not have a set date until nearly two months later when June 22 was officially announced as the date.‘Hercules’ to Challenge Holmes, New York Times article, 1979-03-25 Retrieved on 2026-04-24Holmes‐Weaver Bout Set For June 22 at the Garden, N.Y. Times article, 1979-05–19, Retrieved on 2026-04-24 Weaver, who sported an unimpressive 19–8 record, was viewed as little more than a tune-up for Holmes, who had already signed to meet the WBC's top-ranked heavyweight Earnie Shavers that September.Holmes‐Shavers Set For Giants Stadium, New York Times article, 1979-05–10, Retrieved on 2026-04-25 Holmes, however, denied that he was looking past Weaver in favor of Shavers, stating "If I thought he was just a tune-up (for Shavers), I wouldn't be training for six weeks."Holmes Fights Weaver In Title Bout at Garden, New York Times article, 1979-06–17, Retrieved on 2026-04-25
King hoped to sell the broadcast rights to one of the "Big Three" networks; ABC, NBC or CBS, but all three declined, feeling that Holmes' choice of the virtually unknown Weaver as an opponent was not appealing.The Tuneup TV Didn't Want, N.Y. Times article, 1979-06–23, Retrieved on 2026-04-24 Left with little choice, King would sell the rights to HBO for $150,000 at the behest of HBO sports executive Michael J. Fuchs. Though HBO had broadcast several boxing events before, including The Rumble in the Jungle and the Thrilla in Manila, the majority of fights largely aired on broadcast television. The Holmes–Weaver bout was largely credited with greatly expanding HBO's boxing coverage into the 1980s until its cancellation in 2018.How HBO's cutting-edge ideas helped make boxing what it is today, Yahoo article, 2018-09–28, Retrieved on 2026-04-24
Fight details Though Weaver was a sizeable underdog, he gave Holmes a much tougher fight than expected. Holmes got off to a good start, taking the first three rounds behind his trademark left jab, but Weaver got back into the fight by winning rounds four and five, stunning Holmes with a right in the fourth that sent Holmes down on his knee, though referee Harold Valan incorrectly ruled it a slip rather than a knockdown. The two fighters would go back and forth in the rounds after before Holmes sent Weaver down with a right uppercut during the final seconds of the 11th round. Though clearly hurt, Weaver managed to pull himself back on his feet just as the round ended. However, Weaver had not recovered enough and was still dazed as Holmes began the 12th round on the attack, driving Weaver into the ropes and landing several big, unanswered blows to Weaver's head before Valan stopped the fight 44 seconds into the round, giving Holmes the victory via technical knockout.Challenger Surprises Crowd, N.Y. Times article, 1979-06–23, Retrieved on 2026-04-25
Aftermath Weaver would go on to win the WBA version of the heavyweight title on March 31, 1980. Based on this and the fact that Holmes had defended his title against Weaver, The Ring decided to officially recognize Holmes as its heavyweight champion, starting March 31.
Fight card Confirmed bouts: Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round NotesHeavyweight200+ lbs.Larry Holmes (c)def.Mike WeaverTKO12/15Welterweight147 lbs.Roberto Durándef.Carlos PalominoUD10Heavyweight200+ lbs.Jimmy Young def.Wendell BaileyTKO3/10Middleweight160 lbs.Mike Bakerdef.Clarence GilmoreTKO4/10Light Welterweight140 lbs.Willie Rodriguezdef.Ruby OrtizUD8Lightweight135 lbs.Johnny Compodef.Leon WilliamsKO3/4Lightweight135 lbs.Raymond Romandef.Danny DanielsSD4
Broadcasting Country Broadcaster HBO
References