Weaver, 44, Is Not the Retiring Type, so He Chases Title

He fought in glamorous places such as Sun City, South Africa, and Las Vegas. Now he fights in a converted hotel ballroom in Woodland Hills.

His fights attracted international crowds. Now he is lucky to draw 1,000 people.

He fought the best in the world. Now he fights the best the San Fernando Valley can attract.

He fought for titles and big money. Now he fights for pure enjoyment and small change.

Twenty-four years after he started boxing professionally, 16 years after he won the World Boxing Assn. heavyweight title, 14 years after he lost it, Mike Weaver, a proud grandfather at 44, is still fighting.

Ten days ago, Weaver won a unanimous 10-round decision over Deric Ryals at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills.

The victory improved Weaver’s record to 41-16-1 with 28 knockouts. He was fighting a man 13 years younger who was in only his ninth professional fight. Yet Weaver could neither knock out Ryals nor dominate the bout.

But don’t feel embarrassed for Weaver. He’s not some overweight, punch-drunk fighter who refuses to turn the pages of the calendar.

Weaver, who lives in Pasadena, works out at a gym and stays in shape year-round. He still weighs 230 pounds, his prime fighting weight, can still move smoothly around the ring and shows no outward signs of having absorbed too many punches.

“I don’t get hit solid,” he said. “I feel good. I never drank or smoked and never took drugs.”

So why endanger his health now by entering the ring against a fighter young enough to be his son? Why not kick back and enjoy his children and grandchildren and his past glory?

For one thing, there is the money. Weaver sees World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Mike Tyson earn $30 million for a single fight--and complain about being underpaid--and just shakes his head.

“I’d be happy with just a piece of that,” said Weaver, whose top purse was $2.5 million.

Another thing that keeps Weaver in the ring, he said, is the quality of the heavyweight fighters now.

“I can beat Michael Moorer,” Weaver said. “I can beat [WBA heavyweight champ] Bruce Seldon. I know I can beat Frank Bruno. And I can beat [Francois] Botha. He can’t fight neither.”

Weaver and his longtime manager, Don Manuel, hope that, if Weaver stays active, someone somewhere will give another title shot to a middle-aged former heavyweight champ. After all, it happened to George Foreman and he wound up regaining the title.

“We don’t care who it is,” Manuel said. “I’d like to see [Weaver] get a shot this year or next, then retire.”

Weaver won the WBA crown by knocking out John Tate in the 15th round of a 1980 title fight. It was Weaver’s second shot at a heavyweight championship. He had lost to Larry Holmes on a 12th-round technical knockout for the WBC heavyweight title in 1979.

When Weaver won the WBA crown, he held it for two years and 254 days, successfully defending it against Gerrie Coetzee in South Africa with a 13th-round KO and against James Tillis on a decision before finally losing to Michael Dokes on a first-round TKO in 1982.

Weaver had two more title shots. A 1983 rematch with Dokes ended in a draw. In 1985, Weaver challenged Pinklon Thomas for the WBC title and lost on an eighth-round TKO.

When Weaver won the title, he was 28.

“I figured then that I would retire at 30,” he said. “So I’m already 14 years off course.”

Weaver’s chances of ever again wearing a heavyweight crown appear dim, especially with Tyson back on the scene.

Weaver has lost much of his punching power and acknowledges that he has a bad habit of trying to compensate by taking wild swings with the hope of ending fights on one punch.

The bottom line for Weaver, however, beyond the money and the thought of another title fight, is the fact that he enjoys boxing.

“I don’t know what else I would do,” he said. “As long as I am not getting hurt, I’ll keep fighting and pray that nothing happens. I’ve still got some fights in me. Maybe about 20. I plan to use my body up. I want to know that, when I retire, there is nothing left.

“When I can’t see the punches coming, when I’m getting hit by punches I should be avoiding, that’s when it will be time to quit.”

Hopefully, he won’t wait one punch too long.

Boxing Notes

The Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio has an impressive card Tuesday. In the main event, Frank Tate (35-4, 21 knockouts) will face Mike McCallum (48-3, 36 knockouts) with the World Boxing Union light heavyweight title on the line. Don’t be fooled by the WBU label. It might not be one of the big-time boxing organizations, but it has lined up a couple of prime-time fighters. Between them, Tate and McCallum have won four major championships. Tate is a former International Boxing Federation middleweight champion. McCallum has held the WBA junior middleweight and middleweight, and the WBC light heavyweight titles. . . . Also on the card, unbeaten welterweight Vernon Forrest (16-0, 13 knockouts) will face Isaac Cruz (10-3, nine knockouts) in a 10-rounder, and heavyweight Obed Sullivan (16-1-1, 11 knockouts) will fight a 10-rounder against Lyle McDowell (15-3-1, seven knockouts). First fight is at 6 p.m. . . . The Hollywood Park Casino gets onto the local fight calendar this month with an April 13 card that will include two regular boxing matches and six Muay Thai kick boxing events. In the regulation main event, Chatchai Elik Gym (20-1-1, 14 knockouts), ranked No. 1 by the WBC in the flyweight division, will face Pablo Tiznado (16-12-2, six knockouts) in a 10-round match. . . . Super middleweight Michael Nunn, who missed a scheduled fight last month at the Pyramid in Long Beach because of flu, is on track for a title shot. Nunn will fight an undetermined opponent in June while Steve Collins, the World Boxing Organization super middleweight champion, meets challenger Nigel Benn. The winner is mandated to fight Nunn. . . . Depressed about your weight? Sad about losing your hair? Don’t despair. If you tip the scales at 300 or more pounds, are slightly on the ugly side and don’t have much growing on top, you might win a free trip to the Julio Cesar Chavez-Oscar De La Hoya fight June 7 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. All you have to do is win the Butterbean look-a-like contest. It’s the latest stunt to promote the questionable career of Eric “Butterbean” Esch, who has managed to collect fame and fortune in the ring without ever facing a credible opponent. Send photos and entries to Butterbean Look-a-like Contest, 525 Washington Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07310.