Larry Holmes vs. Mike Weaver

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.^[2][3] 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.^[4] 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."^[5]

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.^[6] 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 it's cancellation in 2018.^[7]

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.^[8]