George Chuvalo
| Born | George Chuvalo September 12, 1937 |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 93 |
| Wins | 73 |
| Wins by KO | 64 |
| Losses | 18 |
| Draws | 2 |
| No contests | 0 |
George Louis Chuvalo, CM (born September 12, 1937) is a retired Canadian heavyweight boxer who was never knocked down in ninety-three professional fights between 1956 and 1979. He was Canadian heavyweight champion as both an amateur and a professional, and twice fought for versions of the professional world's heavyweight title.
Born in Toronto to Croatian parents, Stephan and Kate. Chuvalo grew up in The Junction district of west Toronto, and had one sibling, Zora. While a student at Humberside Collegiate Institute, he became one of the best-known amateur boxers in Toronto, fighting out of the Earlscourt Athletic Club. Chuvalo became Canadian amateur heavyweight champion in May 1955, defeating Winnipeg's Peter Piper with a first-round KO in a tournament final in Regina, Saskatchewan. Chuvalo finished his amateur career with a 16-0-0-0, all by KO within four rounds, a record.
Nicknamed "Boom Boom," Chuvalo turned professional in 1956, knocking out four opponents in one night to win a heavyweight tournament held by former world's champion Jack Dempsey at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on April 26 1956.
As a pro, Chuvalo is best known for his two fights against Muhammad Ali. He went the distance both times, but lost by a wide margin on the scorecards. The first fight, on March 29, 1966 would have been for Ali's world title but for boxing politics that caused it to be staged as "a heavyweight attraction" instead. The fight was scheduled for and indeed went fifteen rounds, with the decision going to Ali. "He's the toughest guy I ever fought," said Ali of Chuvalo after the fight.[1] Ali's cornerman, Angelo Dundee, said, "He never stopped coming on ... you've got to admire a man like that."[1] The second Ali fight was in 1972 and went twelve rounds, with Ali—between his world championship reigns—winning an easy decision. It was the last major fight of Chuvalo's career.
Future world champions Joe Frazier and George Foreman, despite being big punchers, were unable to knock Chuvalo down, but they were the only fighters to stop him, scoring technical knockout (TKO) victories. Foreman—regarded as one of the hardest hitters in boxing history—mauled Chuvalo, bombing him with punch after punch. Yet, in his typical display of toughness, when the referee stopped the fight in the third round, Chuvalo said to him, "What are you, nuts?"
Chuvalo's biggest victories were a seventh-round knockout of contender Jerry Quarry on December 12, 1969, and an eleventh-round knockout of contender Doug Jones on October 2, 1964. Chuvalo also defeated notable fighters such as Howard King, Bob Cleroux, Yvon Durelle, Willi Besmanoff, Mike DeJohn, Cleveland Williams, and Manuel Ramos. Chuvalo was the number one contender for the British Empire heavyweight title for many years but champion Henry Cooper did not fight him.
In addition to his losses to Ali, Frazier, and Foreman, Chuvalo also lost to former champion Floyd Patterson in a bout that The Ring named fight of the year for 1965. He lost to WBA heavyweight champion Ernie Terrell in 1965 and to former WBA champion Jimmy Ellis in 1971, with both of those fights taking place at Maple Leaf Gardens.
He lost two sons to drug overdoses, another son to suicide and his wife to suicide after that. His remaining son, Mitch, became a successful teacher and coach, now working at the University of Toronto Schools. Chuvalo currently tours giving lectures against drugs and actively participates in charity work.
Chuvalo was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1990 and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997. He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1998 and was awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2005.
Current Ottawa Senators goalie Ray Emery has a picture of Chuvalo painted on his goalie mask.
He also appears as the ill-fated arm-wrestler in the 1986 version of The Fly
To Mark The 40th anniversary of his fight on July 19, 1967 against Joe Frazier , he and Frazier held a gala in Toronto, raising money for different charities.
External links
- George Chuvalo's Official Fight Against Drugs Website
- Boxing record for George Chuvalo from BoxRec (registration required)
- CBC Digital Archives - Still Standing: The People's Champion George Chuvalo
- The Rise and Never Fall of George Chuvalo
- Historica.ca - Footprints - George Chuvalo
- Ian Palmer's TigerBoxing article on Chuvalo
References
- ^ a b "Great catcher poor pitcher that's George," Jim Proudfoot, Toronto Star, March 30, 1966