John Tate vs. Mike Weaver, billed as the Battle of Ole Smokey, was a professional match contested on March 31, 1980, for the WBA heavyweight title.
Background Promoter Bob Arum announced in late January 1980, that newly crowned WBA heavyweight champion John Tate would make his first title defense against Mike Weaver later in the year on March 31. Originally set to take place in the Las Vegas Valley, Arum changed the venue, at Tate's request, to the Stokely Athletic Center in Tate's hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee in what would be Tennessee's first ever heavyweight title fight.Tate-Weaver Bout Scheduled, The Jackson Sun, 1980-01–24, Retrieved on 2026-03-30 The Tate–Weaver fight was part of a four-fight, three-venue telecast aired by NBC that also featured WBA light heavyweight champion Marvin Johnson defending his title against Eddie Gregory, also from Knoxville, recently crowned WBC welterweight champion Sugar Ray Leonard making his first title defense against Dave Boy Green in his native Maryland, and a WBC heavyweight title match between champion Larry Holmes and challenger Leroy Jones in Nevada.Fighters' Egos Bruised, Washington Post article, 1980-03-26 Retrieved on 2026-03-30
Weaver, a 2–1 underdog, was looked upon as a steppingstone for Tate, who was expected to face the returning former three-time heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali after his expected win over Weaver.Ali Is Likely To Box Tate, N.Y. Times article, 1980-03–06, Retrieved on 2026-04-01 Tentatively scheduled for June 27, 1980, Tate and Ali had agreed to face each other in Taiwan, with the two fighters splitting a then-unheard of purse of $14 million.Ali-Tate details taking shape, Associated Press article, 1980-03–11, Retrieved on 2026-04-01 Tate, however, when asked about his potential fight with Ali, refused to look past Weaver, stating "Until I can defeat Mike Weaver, I ain’t gonna think about no Ali. If I don’t beat him, it’ll be Mike Weaver fighting him. So, until I can beat Mike Weaver, I won’t even attempt to think about fighting Ali or anyone else as far as that goes."Knoxville's Forgotten Champion: Big John Tate, 'WBIR-TV article, 2022-02–17, Retrieved on 2026-03-29
Fight details Tate controlled the majority of the fight and built up a sizeable lead going into the later rounds. However, with Tate tiring by the 12th-round, Weaver caught Tate with a massive left hook just past the one-minute mark that staggered the champion, who in turn frequently clinched and back peddled away from Weaver in order to survive the round. From then on, Weaver was aggressor of the fight as Tate, having built up a big enough lead on the scorecards, tried to avoid getting in exchanges with his powerful challenger, though Weaver still was able to connect with power punches to Tate's head and body. Finally, in the 15th-round, with Tate needing only to survive another 45 seconds to earn a unanimous decision victory, Weaver, having backed Tate into a corner, connected flush with a left hook to Tate's head. The blow knocked Tate unconscious, who fell face first to the canvas and was counted out by referee Ernesto Magana. Weaver had scored a last minute knockout victory at 2:15 of the 15th round.Champion Of W.B.A. Falls in 15th, N.Y. Times article, 1989-04–01, Retrieved on 2026-04-01
Aftermath As a result of Weaver's capturing of the WBA title, The Ring officially recognized WBC titleholder Larry Holmes as its heavyweight champion starting March 31, on the basis that Holmes had previously successfully defended his WBC title against Weaver.
Fight card Confirmed bouts: Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round NotesHeavyweight200+ lbs.Mike Weaverdef.John Tate (c)KO15/15Light Heavyweight175 lbs.Eddie Gregorydef.Marvin Johnson (c)TKO11/15Welterweight147 lbs.Clinton Jackson def.Jimmy HeairTKO9/10Super Middleweight168 lbs.Irving Hinesdef.Eddie SmithKO2/8Heavyweight200+ lbs.Dwain Bondsdef.Walter SantemoreSD6
Broadcasting Country Broadcaster ABC
References