George Chuvalo

George Louis Chuvalo CM (born September 12, 1937) is a Canadian former professional boxer who was a five-time Canadian heavyweight champion and two-time world heavyweight title challenger. Chuvalo is known for having never been knocked down in his 93 bout professional career including fights against Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman.[1][2] Chuvalo was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.[3]

George Chuvalo
CM
Chuvalo in April 2010
Statistics
Real nameJure Čuvalo
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Reach71 in (180 cm)
NationalityCanadian
Born (1937-09-12) September 12, 1937
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights93
Wins73
Wins by KO63
Losses18
Draws2

Early life and career

George was a child of Croatian immigrants Stipan and Katica from Herzegovina (Ljubuški, Bosnia and Herzegovina). Chuvalo became the Canadian amateur heavyweight champion in May 1955, defeating Winnipeg's Peter Piper with a first-round knockout (KO) in a tournament final in Regina, Saskatchewan. Chuvalo finished his amateur career with a 16–0 record, all by KO within four rounds. Nicknamed "Boom Boom", Chuvalo turned professional in 1956, knocking out four opponents in one night to win a heavyweight tournament held by former world champion Jack Dempsey at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on April 26, 1956.[4]

Against Ali

Chuvalo is best known for his two fights against Muhammad Ali. He went the distance both times, in each case losing the decision by a wide margin on the scorecards. The first fight, on March 29, 1966 at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens, was for Ali's world heavyweight title. "He's the toughest guy I ever fought", said Ali of Chuvalo after the fight.[5]

Other notable contests

George also had some losses against famous fighters other than his two losses to Ali. In 1957 George lost to Bob Baker, who was ranked as high as number two contender in 1955.[6] This was his thirteenth fight and second professional loss. He also lost to Zora Folley, who was once ranked as the top contender.[7] Among his victories was a win against Doug Jones, who gave Muhammad Ali a contested bout.[8] George also bested ex-Commonwealth champion Joe Bygraves.

Tributes and other appearances

On August 14, 2008, Chuvalo's kitchen was the featured renovation project on the Canadian TV series Holmes on Homes in an episode titled "Kitchen Knockout".[9]

During April 2010, Chuvalo was a special guest at the BC Golden Gloves tournament held at the Eagle Ridge Community Centre in Langford, British Columbia.[10]

On December 17, 2011, he travelled to Sarajevo to attend the unveiling of a statue in his honor in Ljubuški on December 18, 2011.[11]

On May 11, 2019, the George Chuvalo Community Centre in Toronto, Ontario opened which provide a variety of recreational programs for children as well as LGBTQ youth.[12]

Professional boxing record
73 Wins (63 (T)KO's, 9 decisions), 18 Losses (2 (T)KO's, 15 decisions, 1 DQ), 2 Draws[13]
Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
Win 73–18–2 George Jerome TKO 3 Dec 11, 1978 St. Lawrence Market, Toronto, Canada Retained Canadian heavyweight title
Win 72–18–2 Earl McLeay TKO 1 Dec 8, 1977 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Retained Canadian heavyweight title
Win 71–18–2 Bob Felstein KO 9 Mar 7, 1977 North York Centennial Centre, Toronto, Canada Won vacant Canadian heavyweight title
Win 70–18–2 Mike Boswell KO 7 Oct 30, 1973 Twin Rinks, Cheektowaga, New York, U.S.
Win 69–18–2 Tony Ventura TKO 3 Sep 25, 1973 Twin Rinks, Cheektowaga, New York, U.S.
Win 68–18–2 Charlie Boston KO 2 Sep 5, 1972 Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Win 67–18–2 Tommy Burns KO 1 Aug 10, 1972 Nelson, British Columbia, Canada Retained Canadian heavyweight title
Loss 66–18–2 Muhammad Ali UD 12 May 1, 1972 Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada For NABF heavyweight title
Win 66–17–2 Jim Christopher KO 2 Feb 21, 1972 Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Win 65–17–2 Charley Chase TKO 6 Jan 28, 1972 Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Retained Canadian heavyweight title
Win 64–17–2 Cleveland Williams UD 10 Nov 17, 1971 Astrodome, Houston, Texas, U.S.
Loss 63–17–2 Jimmy Ellis UD 10 May 10, 1971 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Win 63–16–2 Charles Couture KO 2 Dec 11, 1970 Austintown Fitch High School Gym, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
Win 62–16–2 Tony Ventura TKO 4 Nov 5, 1970 Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win 61–16–2 Tommy Burns KO 1 Oct 24, 1970 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Win 60–16–2 Mike Bruce KO 2 Aug 15, 1970 Kosevo Stadium, Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
Loss 59–16–2 George Foreman TKO 3 Aug 4, 1970 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
Win 59–15–2 Charlie Reno KO 3 Jun 30, 1970 Seattle, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Win 58–15–2 Gino Ricci TKO 1 May 10, 1970 Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada
Win 57–15–2 Willie Tiger KO 10 May 1, 1970 Fairgrounds, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Win 56–15–2 Jerry Quarry KO 7 Dec 12, 1969 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
Win 55–15–2 Leslie Borden TKO 3 Nov 16, 1969 Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada
Win 54–15–2 Stamford Harris TKO 3 Sep 8, 1969 Exhibition Pavilion, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Loss 53–15–2 Buster Mathis UD 12 Feb 3, 1969 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
Win 53–14–2 Dante Cane TKO 7 Nov 12, 1968 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Win 52–14–2 Manuel Ramos TKO 5 Sep 26, 1968 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
Win 51–14–2 Vic Brown TKO 3 Sep 17, 1968 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Win 50–14–2 Levi Forte TKO 2 Sep 3, 1968 Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
Win 49–14–2 Johnny Featherman KO 1 Jun 30, 1968 Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
Win 48–14–2 Jean-Claude Roy UD 12 Jun 5, 1968 Exhibition Stadium, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada Won Canadian heavyweight title
Loss 47–14–2 Joe Frazier TKO 4 Jul 19, 1967 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
Win 47–13–2 Archie Ray TKO 2 Jun 22, 1967 Adams Field House, Missoula, Montana, U.S.
Win 46–13–2 Willi Besmanoff TKO 3 May 27, 1967 Cocoa, Florida, U.S.
Win 45–13–2 Willi Besmanoff TKO 3 Apr 4, 1967 Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
Win 44–13–2 Buddy Moore KO 2 Mar 20, 1967 Four Seasons Arena, Walpole, Massachusetts, U.S.
Win 43–13–2 Dick Wipperman TKO 3 Feb 22, 1967 Armory, Akron, Ohio, U.S.
Win 42–13–2 Vic Brown KO 4 Jan 16, 1967 Four Seasons Arena, Walpole, Massachusetts, U.S.
Win 41–13–2 Willie McCormick KO 3 Dec 16, 1966 Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Win 40–13–2 Dave Russell TKO 2 Nov 28, 1966 Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Win 39–13–2 Boston Jacobs TKO 3 Nov 21, 1966 Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Win 38–13–2 Dick Wipperman TKO 5 Oct 12, 1966 Paul Sauvé Arena, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win 37–13–2 Bob Avery TKO 2 Sep 15, 1966 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Win 36–13–2 Mel Turnbow KO 7 Aug 16, 1966 Paul Sauvé Arena, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Loss 35–13–2 Oscar Bonavena MD 12 Jun 23, 1966 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
Win 35–12–2 Levi Forte TKO 2 May 15, 1966 Miner's Forum, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada
Loss 34–12–2 Muhammad Ali UD 15 Mar 29, 1966 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada For WBA and WBC heavyweight titles
Loss 34–11–2 Eduardo Corletti PTS 10 Jan 25, 1966 Olympia, London, England
Win 34–10–2 Joe Bygraves PTS 10 Dec 7, 1965 Royal Albert Hall, London, England
Loss 33–10–2 Ernie Terrell UD 15 Nov 1, 1965 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada For WBA heavyweight title
Win 33–9–2 Orvin Veazey KO 2 Aug 17, 1965 Exhibition Stadium, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Win 32–9–2 Dave Bailey KO 3 Jun 30, 1965 Exhibition Stadium, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Win 31–9–2 Ed Sonny Andrews TKO 1 Jun 7, 1965 Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Win 30–9–2 Bill Nielsen TKO 8 Apr 19, 1965 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Loss 29–9–2 Floyd Patterson UD 12 Feb 1, 1965 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
Win 29–8–2 Calvin Butler KO 3 Nov 10, 1964 Hull, Quebec, Canada
Win 28–8–2 Doug Jones TKO 11 Oct 2, 1964 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
Win 27–8–2 Don Prout TKO 3 Jul 27, 1964 Sargent Field, New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Win 26–8–2 Hugh Mercier KO 1 Mar 18, 1964 Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada Won vacant Canadian heavyweight title
Loss 25–8–2 Zora Folley UD 10 Jan 17, 1964 Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Draw 25–7–2 Tony Alongi PTS 10 Nov 8, 1963 Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. Originally a decision win for Algoni, result was changed to a draw after an error with the scoring
Win 25–7–1 Mike DeJohn MD 10 Sep 27, 1963 Louisville Gardens, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Win 24–7–1 Lloyd Washington KO 2 May 18, 1963 Central High Field House, Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S.
Win 23–7–1 Chico Gardner KO 4 Apr 29, 1963 London, Ontario, Canada
Win 22–7–1 James Wakefield TKO 6 Apr 22, 1963 Windsor Arena, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Win 21–7–1 Rico Brooks TKO 2 Mar 15, 1963 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Loss 20–7–1 Joe Erskine DQ 5 Oct 2, 1961 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Chuvalo was disqualified for headbutting
Loss 20–6–1 Bob Cleroux SD 12 Aug 8, 1961 Delormier Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Lost Canadian heavyweight title
Win 20–5–1 Willi Besmanoff TKO 4 Jun 27, 1961 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Win 19–5–1 Alex Miteff SD 10 Mar 27, 1961 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Win 18–5–1 Bob Cleroux UD 12 Nov 23, 1960 Forum, Quebec, Canada Won Canadian heavyweight title
Loss 17–5–1 Bob Cleroux SD 12 Aug 17, 1960 Delormier Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Lost Canadian heavyweight title
Loss 17–4–1 Pete Rademacher UD 10 Jul 19, 1960 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Win 17–3–1 Yvon Durelle KO 12 Nov 17, 1959 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada Retained Canadian heavyweight title
Win 16–3–1 Frankie Daniels TKO 7 Sep 14, 1959 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Loss 15–3–1 Pat McMurtry UD 10 Oct 17, 1958 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
Win 15–2–1 James J. Parker KO 1 Sep 15, 1959 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada Won vacant Canadian heavyweight title
Draw 14–2–1 Alex Miteff PTS 10 Jun 16, 1958 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Win 14–2 Howard King KO 2 Apr 21, 1958 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win 13–2 Julio Mederos UD 10 Jan 27, 1958 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Loss 12–2 Bob Baker UD 10 Sep 9, 1957 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Win 12–1 Joe Schmolze KO 4 Jun 6, 1957 Fort William, Ontario, Canada
Win 11–1 Emil Brtko TKO 2 Apr 22, 1957 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win 10–1 Moses Graham KO 2 Mar 25, 1957 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Win 9–1 Walter Hafer KO 3 Mar 4, 1957 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Win 8–1 Sid Russell KO 1 Jan 14, 1957 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Win 7–1 Bob Biehler UD 8 Nov 19, 1956 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Loss 6–1 Howard King SD 8 Oct 22, 1956 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win 6–0 Joe Evans KO 1 Sep 10, 1956 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Win 5–0 John Arthur UD 8 Jun 11, 1956 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
Win 4–0 Ed McGee KO 1 Apr 23, 1956 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament
Win 3–0 Ross Gregory KO 1 Apr 23, 1956 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament
Win 2–0 Jim Leonard KO 2 Apr 23, 1956 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament
Win 1–0 Gordon Baldwin TKO 2 Apr 23, 1956 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament

References
  1. https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/the-tragic-tale-of-george-chuvalo-muhammad-ali-s-toughest-opponent-1.3326096
  2. https://apnews.com/article/f541af9389824381beaada19f2f7e8e2
  3. "George Chuvalo". oshof.ca/. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  4. Zawadzki, Edward (2001). The Ultimate Canadian Sports Trivia Book, Volume 1. Canada: Dundurn Press Ltd. p. 216. ISBN 9780888822376.
  5. "Great catcher poor pitcher, that's George", Jim Proudfoot, Toronto Star, March 30, 1966
  6. "The Ring Magazine's Annual Ratings: 1955 - BoxRec". boxrec.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  7. "The Ring Magazine's Annual Ratings: 1959 - BoxRec". boxrec.com. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  8. Christie, Matt. "On This Day: Cassius Clay survives huge scare against Doug Jones". Boxing News. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  9. Episode: Kitchen Knockout, HGTV.ca: Holmes on Holmes, http://www.hgtv.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=111645 Archived September 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  10. 2010 BC Golden Gloves program
  11. Jure Čuvalo (Georg Chuvalo) danas u Sarajevu, sutra u Ljubuškom http://www.hercegovina.info/vijesti/sport/borilacki-sportovi/jure-cuvalo-georg-chuvalo-jucer-u-sarajevu-danas-u-ljubuskom
  12. Gupta, Rahul (May 17, 2019). "George Chuvalo Community Centre finally opens in the Junction". Toronto.com. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  • Chuvalo, George (November 2013). "Lost Boys". Toronto Life Magazine.
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