George Chuvalo

George Chuvalo
George Louis Chuvalo, CM (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. 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, 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.
Other notable contests
Chuvalo also had some losses against famous fighters other than his two losses to Ali. In 1957, Chuvalo lost to Bob Baker, who was ranked as high as number two contender in 1955. This was his thirteenth fight and second professional loss. He also lost to Zora Folley, who was once ranked as the top contender. Among his victories was a win against Doug Jones, who gave Muhammad Ali a closely contested bout in 1963.
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 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".
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.
On December 17, 2011, he travelled to Sarajevo to attend the unveiling of a statue in his honor in Ljubuški on December 18, 2011.
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.
Personal life
When Chuvalo was 21, he married 15 year old Lynne, with whom he had five children: Mitchell, Steven, George Lee (George Jr.), Jesse, and Vanessa. 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 would overdose 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 and experienced suicidal thoughts. By the time of Steven's death, Chuvalo had also found himself in financial distress; the mortage 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. Chuvalo's son Mitchell would become a high school teacher, while Vanessa would become the department manager of a Toronto food market. As of 2011, Chuvalo had six grandchildren. On February 28, 2013, his granddaughter Rachel died of cancer.
After Lynne's death, Chuvalo married his second wife, Joanne, in 1994, and adopted her two children: Jesse and Ruby. Joanne, who had worked with Lynne, stopped by Chuvalo's house after her death to share condolences, which eventually led to a romance. Since the mid-2010s, Joanne and Chuvalo's biological children from his first marriage have had several legal battles, largely led by a decline in Chuvalo's cognitive abilities which has led him to being incapable of leading many of his personal affairs.
Chuvalo's cognitive abilities had taken a toll later in life, driven by blows he has received in his boxing career. In 2018, a judge ruled that Chuvalo did not have the mental capacity to determine if he wished to reconcile with his wife, and by 2022, he was suffering from advanced dementia. In 2022, Chuvalo tested positive for COVID-19, although made a recovery.
Chuvalo is a Catholic. 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
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!
!Result
!Record
!Opponent
!Type
!Round
!Date
!Location
!Notes
|- align=center
|93
|Win
|73–18–2
|align=left| George Jerome
|TKO
|3 (12)
|Dec 11, 1978
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|92
|Win
|72–18–2
|align=left| Earl McLeay
|TKO
|1 (12)
|Dec 8, 1977
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|91
|Win
|71–18–2
|align=left| Bob Felstein
|KO
|9 (12)
|Mar 7, 1977
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|90
|Win
|70–18–2
|align=left| Mike Boswell
|KO
|7 (10)
|Oct 30, 1973
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|89
|Win
|69–18–2
|align=left| Tony Ventura
|TKO
|3 (10)
|Sep 25, 1973
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|88
|Win
|68–18–2
|align=left| Charlie Boston
|KO
|2
|Sep 5, 1972
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|87
|Win
|67–18–2
|align=left| Tommy Burns
|KO
|1 (12)
|Aug 10, 1972
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|86
|Loss
|66–18–2
|align=left| Muhammad Ali
|UD
|12
|May 1, 1972
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|85
|Win
|66–17–2
|align=left| Jim Christopher
|KO
|2 (10)
|Feb 21, 1972
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|84
|Win
|65–17–2
|align=left| Charley Chase
|TKO
|6 (12)
|Jan 28, 1972
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|83
|Win
|64–17–2
|align=left| Cleveland Williams
|UD
|10
|Nov 17, 1971
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|82
|Loss
|63–17–2
|align=left| Jimmy Ellis
|UD
|10
|May 10, 1971
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|81
|Win
|63–16–2
|align=left| Charles Couture
|KO
|2 (10)
|Dec 11, 1970
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|80
|Win
|62–16–2
|align=left| Tony Ventura
|TKO
|4 (10)
|Nov 5, 1970
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|79
|Win
|61–16–2
|align=left| Tommy Burns
|KO
|1 (12)
|Oct 24, 1970
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|78
|Win
|60–16–2
|align=left| Mike Bruce
|KO
|2 (10)
|Aug 15, 1970
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|77
|Loss
|59–16–2
|align=left| George Foreman
|TKO
|3 (10)
|Aug 4, 1970
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|76
|Win
|59–15–2
|align=left| Charlie Reno
|KO
|3 (10)
|Jun 30, 1970
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|75
|Win
|58–15–2
|align=left| Gino Ricci
|TKO
|1 (10)
|May 10, 1970
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|74
|Win
|57–15–2
|align=left| Willie Tiger
|KO
|10 (10)
|May 1, 1970
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|73
|Win
|56–15–2
|align=left| Jerry Quarry
|KO
|7 (10)
|Dec 12, 1969
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|72
|Win
|55–15–2
|align=left| Leslie Borden
|TKO
|3 (10)
|Nov 16, 1969
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|71
|Win
|54–15–2
|align=left| Stamford Harris
|TKO
|3 (12)
|Sep 8, 1969
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|70
|Loss
|53–15–2
|align=left| Buster Mathis
|UD
|12
|Feb 3, 1969
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|69
|Win
|53–14–2
|align=left| Dante Cane
|TKO
|7 (10)
|Nov 12, 1968
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|68
|Win
|52–14–2
|align=left| Manuel Ramos
|TKO
|5 (10)
|Sep 26, 1968
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|67
|Win
|51–14–2
|align=left| Vic Brown
|TKO
|3 (10)
|Sep 17, 1968
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|66
|Win
|50–14–2
|align=left| Levi Forte
|TKO
|2 (10)
|Sep 3, 1968
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|65
|Win
|49–14–2
|align=left| Johnny Featherman
|KO
|1 (12)
|Jun 30, 1968
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|64
|Win
|48–14–2
|align=left| Jean-Claude Roy
|UD
|12
|Jun 5, 1968
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|63
|Loss
|47–14–2
|align=left| Joe Frazier
|TKO
|4 (10)
|Jul 19, 1967
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|62
|Win
|47–13–2
|align=left| Archie Ray
|TKO
|2 (10)
|Jun 22, 1967
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|61
|Win
|46–13–2
|align=left| Willi Besmanoff
|TKO
|3 (10)
|May 27, 1967
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|60
|Win
|45–13–2
|align=left| Willi Besmanoff
|TKO
|3 (10)
|Apr 4, 1967
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|59
|Win
|44–13–2
|align=left| Buddy Moore
|KO
|2 (10)
|Mar 20, 1967
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|58
|Win
|43–13–2
|align=left| Dick Wipperman
|TKO
|3 (10)
|Feb 22, 1967
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|57
|Win
|42–13–2
|align=left| Vic Brown
|KO
|4 (10)
|Jan 16, 1967
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|56
|Win
|41–13–2
|align=left| Willie McCormick
|KO
|3 (10)
|Dec 16, 1966
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|55
|Win
|40–13–2
|align=left| Dave Russell
|TKO
|2 (10)
|Nov 28, 1966
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|54
|Win
|39–13–2
|align=left| Boston Jacobs
|TKO
|3 (10)
|Nov 21, 1966
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|53
|Win
|38–13–2
|align=left| Dick Wipperman
|TKO
|5 (10)
|Oct 12, 1966
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|52
|Win
|37–13–2
|align=left| Bob Avery
|TKO
|2 (15)
|Sep 15, 1966
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|51
|Win
|36–13–2
|align=left| Mel Turnbow
|KO
|7 (10)
|Aug 16, 1966
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|50
|Loss
|35–13–2
|align=left| Oscar Bonavena
|MD
|12
|Jun 23, 1966
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|49
|Win
|35–12–2
|align=left| Levi Forte
|TKO
|2 (10)
|May 15, 1966
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|48
|Loss
|34–12–2
|align=left| Muhammad Ali
|UD
|15
|Mar 29, 1966
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|47
|Loss
|34–11–2
|align=left| Eduardo Corletti
|PTS
|10
|Jan 25, 1966
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|46
|Win
|34–10–2
|align=left| Joe Bygraves
|
|10
|Dec 7, 1965
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|45
|Loss
|33–10–2
|align=left| Ernie Terrell
|UD
|15
|Nov 1, 1965
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|44
|Win
|33–9–2
|align=left| Orvin Veazey
|KO
|2 (10)
|Aug 17, 1965
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|43
|Win
|32–9–2
|align=left| Dave Bailey
|KO
|3 (10)
|Jun 30, 1965
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|42
|Win
|31–9–2
|align=left| Ed Sonny Andrews
|TKO
|1 (10)
|Jun 7, 1965
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|41
|Win
|30–9–2
|align=left| Bill Nielsen
|TKO
|8 (10)
|Apr 19, 1965
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|40
|Loss
|29–9–2
|align=left| Floyd Patterson
|UD
|12
|Feb 1, 1965
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|39
|Win
|29–8–2
|align=left| Calvin Butler
|KO
|3 (10)
|Nov 10, 1964
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|38
|Win
|28–8–2
|align=left| Doug Jones
|TKO
|11 (12)
|Oct 2, 1964
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|37
|Win
|27–8–2
|align=left| Don Prout
|TKO
|3 (10)
|Jul 27, 1964
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|36
|Win
|26–8–2
|align=left| Hugh Mercier
|KO
|1 (12)
|Mar 18, 1964
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|35
|Loss
|25–8–2
|align=left| Zora Folley
|UD
|10
|Jan 17, 1964
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|34
|style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw
|25–7–2
|align=left| Tony Alongi
|PTS
|10
|Nov 8, 1963
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|33
|Win
|25–7–1
|align=left| Mike DeJohn
|
|10
|Sep 27, 1963
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|32
|Win
|24–7–1
|align=left| Lloyd Washington
|KO
|2 (10)
|May 18, 1963
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|31
|Win
|23–7–1
|align=left| Chico Gardner
|KO
|4 (10)
|Apr 29, 1963
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|30
|Win
|22–7–1
|align=left| James Wakefield
|TKO
|6 (10)
|Apr 22, 1963
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|29
|Win
|21–7–1
|align=left| Rico Brooks
|TKO
|2 (10)
|Mar 15, 1963
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|28
|Loss
|20–7–1
|align=left| Joe Erskine
|
|5 (12)
|Oct 2, 1961
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|27
|Loss
|20–6–1
|align=left| Bob Cleroux
|SD
|12
|Aug 8, 1961
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|26
|Win
|20–5–1
|align=left| Willi Besmanoff
|TKO
|4 (10)
|Jun 27, 1961
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|25
|Win
|19–5–1
|align=left| Alex Miteff
|SD
|10
|Mar 27, 1961
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|24
|Win
|18–5–1
|align=left| Bob Cleroux
|UD
|12
|Nov 23, 1960
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|23
|Loss
|17–5–1
|align=left| Bob Cleroux
|SD
|12
|Aug 17, 1960
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|22
|Loss
|17–4–1
|align=left| Pete Rademacher
|UD
|10
|Jul 19, 1960
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|21
|Win
|17–3–1
|align=left| Yvon Durelle
|KO
|12 (12)
|Nov 17, 1959
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|20
|Win
|16–3–1
|align=left| Frankie Daniels
|TKO
|7 (10)
|Sep 14, 1959
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|19
|Loss
|15–3–1
|align=left| Pat McMurtry
|UD
|10
|Oct 17, 1958
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|18
|Win
|15–2–1
|align=left| James J. Parker
|KO
|1 (12)
|Sep 15, 1959
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|17
|Draw
|14–2–1
|align=left| Alex Miteff
|
|10
|Jun 16, 1958
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|16
|Win
|14–2
|align=left| Howard King
|KO
|2 (10)
|Apr 21, 1958
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|15
|Win
|13–2
|align=left| Julio Mederos
|UD
|10
|Jan 27, 1958
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|14
|Loss
|12–2
|align=left| Bob Baker
|UD
|10
|Sep 9, 1957
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|13
|Win
|12–1
|align=left| Joe Schmolze
|KO
|4 (10)
|Jun 6, 1957
|align=left|
|
|- align=center
|12
|Win
|11–1
|align=left| Emil Brtko
|TKO
|2 (10)
|Apr 22, 1957
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|11
|Win
|10–1
|align=left| Moses Graham
|KO
|2 (8)
|Mar 25, 1957
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|10
|Win
|9–1
|align=left| Walter Hafer
|KO
|3 (8)
|Mar 4, 1957
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|9
|Win
|8–1
|align=left| Sid Russell
|KO
|1 (8)
|Jan 14, 1957
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|8
|Win
|7–1
|align=left| Bob Biehler
|UD
|8
|Nov 19, 1956
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|7
|Loss
|6–1
|align=left| Howard King
|
|8
|Oct 22, 1956
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|6
|Win
|6–0
|align=left| Joe Evans
|KO
|1 (8)
|Sep 10, 1956
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|5
|Win
|5–0
|align=left| John Arthur
|
|8
|Jun 11, 1956
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|4
|Win
|4–0
|align=left| Ed McGee
|KO
|1 (3)
|Apr 23, 1956
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|3
|Win
|3–0
|align=left| Ross Gregory
|KO
|1 (3)
|Apr 23, 1956
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|2
|Win
|2–0
|align=left| Jim Leonard
|
|2 (3)
|Apr 23, 1956
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|1
|Win
|1–0
|align=left| Gordon Baldwin
|
|2
|Apr 23, 1956
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
References
Chuvalo, George (November 2013). "Lost Boys". Toronto Life Magazine.
External links
Džordž (Jure) Čuvalo, najbolji kanadski bokser svih vremena: Nikad na kolenima – Tačno.net
George Chuvalo's Official Fight Against Drugs Website
CBC Digital Archives – Still Standing: The People's Champion George Chuvalo
Historica.ca – Footprints – George Chuvalo
Ian Palmer's TigerBoxing article on Chuvalo
The Canadian Encyclopedia
Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia
CBC Digital Archives. The Biggest Fight of George Chuvalo's Life
1937 births
Living people
Canadian male boxers
Canadian people of Bosnia and Herzegovina descent
Canadian people of Croatian descent
Heavyweight boxers
Members of the Order of Canada
Boxers from Toronto