# George Chuvalo

George Louis Chuvalo CM OOnt (born September 12, 1937, as Jure Čuvalo) is a Canadian former professional boxer who was a five-time Canadian heavyweight champion and two-time world heavyweight title challenger. He is known for having never been knocked down in his 93 bout professional career including fights against Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman. Chuvalo unsuccessfully challenged Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight championship in 1966. Chuvalo was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

## Early life and career

Chuvalo was born on September 12, 1937, to Croat immigrants Stipan and Katica from Ljubuški in the Herzegovina region of what is today 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. Originally 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.
George Chuvalo's rankings as a heavyweight were: number 9 in 1963, number 5 in 1964, number 3 in 1965, number 8 in 1966, number 4 in 1968 and number 7 in 1970.

### 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, 1967, 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.

### Other notable contests

Chuvalo defeated many heavyweights who were top ten contenders, including Johnny Arthur, Julio Mederos, Howard King, Alex Miteff, James J. Parker, Yvon Durelle, Bob Cleroux, Willie Besmanoff, Mike DeJohn, Doug Jones, Bill Nielsen, Dante Cane, Joe Bygraves, Manuel Ramos, Jerry Quarry and Cleveland Williams. Some of his controversial losses on decision were to Bob Cleroux (twice), Floyd Patterson (Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year), Ernie Terrell and Oscar Bonavena. His two draws against Alex Miteff and Tony Alongi were also controversial. In his defeats, Chuvalo failed to go the distance only in 1967 with Joe Frazier, and in 1970 with George Foreman. In both cases the referee stopped the fight while Chuvalo was still on his feet. He was also disqualified in 1961 against Joe Erskine (for headbutting - after complaining repeatedly about being fouled). Chuvalo holds the distinction of never being knocked down in his 93 professional bouts.

## Tributes and other appearances

Chuvalo also appeared in films, with acting roles in I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses (1978), Stone Cold Dead (1979), The Fly (1986), Last Man Standing (1987), Prom Night III: The Last Kiss (1989), The Return of Eliot Ness (1991), Lee's Offering (2005) and Sicilian Vampire (2015).
His 1966 match against Ali was the subject of Joseph Blasioli's 2003 documentary film The Last Round: Chuvalo vs. Ali.
On December 17, 2011, he travelled to Sarajevo to attend the unveiling of a statue in his honour in Ljubuški, his parents' birthplace, on December 18, 2011.
On May 11, 2019, the George Chuvalo Neighborhood Centre in Toronto, Ontario, opened which provides a variety of recreational programs for children as well as LGBTQ youth.

## Personal life

When Chuvalo was 21, he married 15 year old Lynne, with whom he had five children. Three of Chuvalo's sons, Jesse, Steven, and George Lee, were heroin addicts, which was introduced to the family by Jesse in 1984 after a severe motorbike accident led him to seek pain relief. The trio would often rob local pharmacies of prescription medication, for which they frequently served jail time. In February 1985, Jesse committed suicide, and over the next two months, Steven overdosed on heroin 15 times. In November 1993, less than a week after being released from prison for robbery, George Lee, who had survived a suicide attempt in prison and been threatening to intentionally overdose to reunite with Jesse, died of a heroin overdose. Four days after George's death, Chuvalo's grief-stricken wife Lynne committed suicide on November 4. In August 1996, despite recent attempts at improving his life, including nearing completion on a degree in Russian Literature from Queen's University, Steven was found dead of a heroin overdose. Following his children's deaths, Chuvalo went into a deep depression. By the time of Steven's death, Chuvalo had also found himself in financial distress; the mortgage on his home had been foreclosed, and the contents of his house were being removed by creditors, although his economic situation improved over the following decades, due primarily to his giving speeches about his family's travails. Chuvalo's son Mitchell is a high school teacher, while daughter Vanessa manages a food market.
Three months after Lynne's death, Chuvalo married his second wife, Joanne O'Hara, 20 years his junior, in January 1994. She already had two children from two previous relationships.
Chuvalo's life, including the blows he had received in his boxing career, had taken a toll on his cognitive abilities. In 2018, a judge ruled that Chuvalo did not have the mental capacity to determine if he wished to reconcile with his wife after living apart for multiple years, and by 2022, he was suffering from advanced dementia.
In 1998, Chuvalo was appointed as a member of the Order of Canada and in 2005 received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. For his career success and anti-drug speaking campaigns, Chuvalo was awarded the key to the city of Toronto by mayor Rob Ford on March 26, 2013.

## Professional boxing record

| 93 fights | 73 wins | 18 losses |
| By knockout | 64 | 2 |
| By decision | 9 | 15 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
| Draws | 2 | 2 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| 93 | Win | 73–18–2 | George Jerome | TKO | 3 (12) | Dec 11, 1978 | St. Lawrence Market, Toronto, Canada | Retained Canadian heavyweight title |
| 92 | Win | 72–18–2 | Earl McLeay | TKO | 1 (12) | Dec 8, 1977 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Retained Canadian heavyweight title |
| 91 | Win | 71–18–2 | Bob Felstein | KO | 9 (12) | Mar 7, 1977 | North York Centennial Centre, Toronto, Canada | Won vacant Canadian heavyweight title |
| 90 | Win | 70–18–2 | Mike Boswell | KO | 7 (10) | Oct 30, 1973 | Twin Rinks, Cheektowaga, New York, U.S. | |
| 89 | Win | 69–18–2 | Tony Ventura | TKO | 3 (10) | Sep 25, 1973 | Twin Rinks, Cheektowaga, New York, U.S. | |
| 88 | Win | 68–18–2 | Charlie Boston | KO | 2 | Sep 5, 1972 | Port-au-Prince, Haiti | |
| 87 | Win | 67–18–2 | Tommy Burns | KO | 1 (12) | Aug 10, 1972 | Nelson, British Columbia, Canada | Retained Canadian heavyweight title |
| 86 | Loss | 66–18–2 | Muhammad Ali | UD | 12 | May 1, 1972 | Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | For NABF heavyweight title |
| 85 | Win | 66–17–2 | Jim Christopher | KO | 2 (10) | Feb 21, 1972 | Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| 84 | Win | 65–17–2 | Charley Chase | TKO | 6 (12) | Jan 28, 1972 | Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Retained Canadian heavyweight title |
| 83 | Win | 64–17–2 | Cleveland Williams | UD | 10 | Nov 17, 1971 | Astrodome, Houston, Texas, U.S. | |
| 82 | Loss | 63–17–2 | Jimmy Ellis | UD | 10 | May 10, 1971 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 81 | Win | 63–16–2 | Charles Couture | KO | 2 (10) | Dec 11, 1970 | Austintown Fitch High School Gym, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 80 | Win | 62–16–2 | Tony Ventura | TKO | 4 (10) | Nov 5, 1970 | Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 79 | Win | 61–16–2 | Tommy Burns | KO | 1 (12) | Oct 24, 1970 | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | |
| 78 | Win | 60–16–2 | Mike Bruce | KO | 2 (10) | Aug 15, 1970 | Kosevo Stadium, Sarajevo, Yugoslavia | |
| 77 | Loss | 59–16–2 | George Foreman | TKO | 3 (10) | Aug 4, 1970 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 76 | Win | 59–15–2 | Charlie Reno | KO | 3 (10) | Jun 30, 1970 | Seattle, Washington, D.C., U.S. | |
| 75 | Win | 58–15–2 | Gino Ricci | TKO | 1 (10) | May 10, 1970 | Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada | |
| 74 | Win | 57–15–2 | Willie Tiger | KO | 10 (10) | May 1, 1970 | Fairgrounds, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
| 73 | Win | 56–15–2 | Jerry Quarry | KO | 7 (10) | Dec 12, 1969 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 72 | Win | 55–15–2 | Leslie Borden | TKO | 3 (10) | Nov 16, 1969 | Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada | |
| 71 | Win | 54–15–2 | Stamford Harris | TKO | 3 (12) | Sep 8, 1969 | Exhibition Pavilion, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada | |
| 70 | Loss | 53–15–2 | Buster Mathis | UD | 12 | Feb 3, 1969 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 69 | Win | 53–14–2 | Dante Cane | TKO | 7 (10) | Nov 12, 1968 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 68 | Win | 52–14–2 | Manuel Ramos | TKO | 5 (10) | Sep 26, 1968 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 67 | Win | 51–14–2 | Vic Brown | TKO | 3 (10) | Sep 17, 1968 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 66 | Win | 50–14–2 | Levi Forte | TKO | 2 (10) | Sep 3, 1968 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 65 | Win | 49–14–2 | Johnny Featherman | KO | 1 (12) | Jun 30, 1968 | Penticton, British Columbia, Canada | |
| 64 | Win | 48–14–2 | Jean-Claude Roy | UD | 12 | Jun 5, 1968 | Exhibition Stadium, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada | Won Canadian heavyweight title |
| 63 | Loss | 47–14–2 | Joe Frazier | TKO | 4 (10) | Jul 19, 1967 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 62 | Win | 47–13–2 | Archie Ray | TKO | 2 (10) | Jun 22, 1967 | Adams Field House, Missoula, Montana, U.S. | |
| 61 | Win | 46–13–2 | Willi Besmanoff | TKO | 3 (10) | May 27, 1967 | Cocoa, Florida, U.S. | |
| 60 | Win | 45–13–2 | Willi Besmanoff | TKO | 3 (10) | Apr 4, 1967 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 59 | Win | 44–13–2 | Buddy Moore | KO | 2 (10) | Mar 20, 1967 | Four Seasons Arena, Walpole, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| 58 | Win | 43–13–2 | Dick Wipperman | TKO | 3 (10) | Feb 22, 1967 | Armory, Akron, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 57 | Win | 42–13–2 | Vic Brown | KO | 4 (10) | Jan 16, 1967 | Four Seasons Arena, Walpole, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| 56 | Win | 41–13–2 | Willie McCormick | KO | 3 (10) | Dec 16, 1966 | Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada | |
| 55 | Win | 40–13–2 | Dave Russell | TKO | 2 (10) | Nov 28, 1966 | Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada | |
| 54 | Win | 39–13–2 | Boston Jacobs | TKO | 3 (10) | Nov 21, 1966 | Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
| 53 | Win | 38–13–2 | Dick Wipperman | TKO | 5 (10) | Oct 12, 1966 | Paul Sauvé Arena, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 52 | Win | 37–13–2 | Bob Avery | TKO | 2 (15) | Sep 15, 1966 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 51 | Win | 36–13–2 | Mel Turnbow | KO | 7 (10) | Aug 16, 1966 | Paul Sauvé Arena, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 50 | Loss | 35–13–2 | Oscar Bonavena | MD | 12 | Jun 23, 1966 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 49 | Win | 35–12–2 | Levi Forte | TKO | 2 (10) | May 15, 1966 | Miner's Forum, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada | |
| 48 | Loss | 34–12–2 | Muhammad Ali | UD | 15 | Mar 29, 1966 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | For WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 47 | Loss | 34–11–2 | Eduardo Corletti | PTS | 10 | Jan 25, 1966 | Olympia, London, England | |
| 46 | Win | 34–10–2 | Joe Bygraves | PTS | 10 | Dec 7, 1965 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | |
| 45 | Loss | 33–10–2 | Ernie Terrell | UD | 15 | Nov 1, 1965 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | For WBA heavyweight title |
| 44 | Win | 33–9–2 | Orvin Veazey | KO | 2 (10) | Aug 17, 1965 | Exhibition Stadium, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada | |
| 43 | Win | 32–9–2 | Dave Bailey | KO | 3 (10) | Jun 30, 1965 | Exhibition Stadium, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada | |
| 42 | Win | 31–9–2 | Ed Sonny Andrews | TKO | 1 (10) | Jun 7, 1965 | Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada | |
| 41 | Win | 30–9–2 | Bill Nielsen | TKO | 8 (10) | Apr 19, 1965 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 40 | Loss | 29–9–2 | Floyd Patterson | UD | 12 | Feb 1, 1965 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 39 | Win | 29–8–2 | Calvin Butler | KO | 3 (10) | Nov 10, 1964 | Hull, Quebec, Canada | |
| 38 | Win | 28–8–2 | Doug Jones | TKO | 11 (12) | Oct 2, 1964 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 37 | Win | 27–8–2 | Don Prout | TKO | 3 (10) | Jul 27, 1964 | Sargent Field, New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| 36 | Win | 26–8–2 | Hugh Mercier | KO | 1 (12) | Mar 18, 1964 | Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada | Won vacant Canadian heavyweight title |
| 35 | Loss | 25–8–2 | Zora Folley | UD | 10 | Jan 17, 1964 | Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 34 | 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 |
| 33 | Win | 25–7–1 | Mike DeJohn | MD | 10 | Sep 27, 1963 | Louisville Gardens, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | |
| 32 | Win | 24–7–1 | Lloyd Washington | KO | 2 (10) | May 18, 1963 | Central High Field House, Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S. | |
| 31 | Win | 23–7–1 | Chico Gardner | KO | 4 (10) | Apr 29, 1963 | London, Ontario, Canada | |
| 30 | Win | 22–7–1 | James Wakefield | TKO | 6 (10) | Apr 22, 1963 | Windsor Arena, Windsor, Ontario, Canada | |
| 29 | Win | 21–7–1 | Rico Brooks | TKO | 2 (10) | Mar 15, 1963 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
| 28 | Loss | 20–7–1 | Joe Erskine | DQ | 5 (12) | Oct 2, 1961 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Chuvalo was disqualified for headbutting |
| 27 | Loss | 20–6–1 | Bob Cleroux | SD | 12 | Aug 8, 1961 | Delormier Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Lost Canadian heavyweight title |
| 26 | Win | 20–5–1 | Willi Besmanoff | TKO | 4 (10) | Jun 27, 1961 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 25 | Win | 19–5–1 | Alex Miteff | SD | 10 | Mar 27, 1961 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 24 | Win | 18–5–1 | Bob Cleroux | UD | 12 | Nov 23, 1960 | Forum, Quebec, Canada | Won Canadian heavyweight title |
| 23 | Loss | 17–5–1 | Bob Cleroux | SD | 12 | Aug 17, 1960 | Delormier Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Lost Canadian heavyweight title |
| 22 | Loss | 17–4–1 | Pete Rademacher | UD | 10 | Jul 19, 1960 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 21 | Win | 17–3–1 | Yvon Durelle | KO | 12 (12) | Nov 17, 1959 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | Retained Canadian heavyweight title |
| 20 | Win | 16–3–1 | Frankie Daniels | TKO | 7 (10) | Sep 14, 1959 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 19 | Loss | 15–3–1 | Pat McMurtry | UD | 10 | Oct 17, 1958 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 18 | Win | 15–2–1 | James J. Parker | KO | 1 (12) | Sep 15, 1959 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | Won vacant Canadian heavyweight title |
| 17 | Draw | 14–2–1 | Alex Miteff | PTS | 10 | Jun 16, 1958 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 16 | Win | 14–2 | Howard King | KO | 2 (10) | Apr 21, 1958 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| 15 | Win | 13–2 | Julio Mederos | UD | 10 | Jan 27, 1958 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 14 | Loss | 12–2 | Bob Baker | UD | 10 | Sep 9, 1957 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 13 | Win | 12–1 | Joe Schmolze | KO | 4 (10) | Jun 6, 1957 | Fort William, Ontario, Canada | |
| 12 | Win | 11–1 | Emil Brtko | TKO | 2 (10) | Apr 22, 1957 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| 11 | Win | 10–1 | Moses Graham | KO | 2 (8) | Mar 25, 1957 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 10 | Win | 9–1 | Walter Hafer | KO | 3 (8) | Mar 4, 1957 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 9 | Win | 8–1 | Sid Russell | KO | 1 (8) | Jan 14, 1957 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 8 | Win | 7–1 | Bob Biehler | UD | 8 | Nov 19, 1956 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 7 | Loss | 6–1 | Howard King | SD | 8 | Oct 22, 1956 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Joe Evans | KO | 1 (8) | Sep 10, 1956 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | John Arthur | UD | 8 | Jun 11, 1956 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Ed McGee | KO | 1 (3) | Apr 23, 1956 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Ross Gregory | KO | 1 (3) | Apr 23, 1956 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Jim Leonard | KO | 2 (3) | Apr 23, 1956 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Gordon Baldwin | TKO | 2 | Apr 23, 1956 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament |