George Chuvalo

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox boxer George Louis Chuvalo Template:Postnominals (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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chuvalo unsuccessfully challenged Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight championship in 1966. Chuvalo was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name=star66>"Great catcher poor pitcher, that's George", Jim Proudfoot, Toronto Star, March 30, 1966</ref>

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 appeared in theatrical 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), Lee's Offering (2005) and Sicilian Vampire (2015).

On television, Chuvalo had an acting role in the 1991 film The Return of Eliot Ness as Tony Urso, and on the crime-fighting series Counterstrike as the Ring Announcer for the fight between Sugar Duke (Richard Chevolleau) and Cal Sparks in the 1993 episode, "The Contender."

His 1966 match against Ali was the subject of Joseph Blasioli's 2003 documentary film The Last Round: Chuvalo vs. Ali.<ref name=pevere>Geoff Pevere, "Chuvalo's finest hour packs a punch". Toronto Star, October 31, 2003.</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="SonsStory">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NTYSons">Template:Cite web</ref> The trio would often rob local pharmacies of prescription medication, for which they frequently served jail time.<ref name="SonsStory"/> In February 1985, Jesse committed suicide, and over the next two months, Steven overdosed on heroin 15 times.<ref name="SonsStory"/><ref name="NTYSons"/> 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.<ref name="SonsStory"/> Four days after George's death, Chuvalo's grief-stricken wife Lynne committed suicide on November 4.<ref name="WifeDeath">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="SonsStory"/><ref name="StevenDeath">Template:Cite web</ref> Following his children's deaths, Chuvalo went into a deep depression.<ref name="SonsStory"/><ref name="Fight">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="IrishBio">Template:Cite news</ref> Chuvalo's son Mitchell is a high school teacher, while daughter Vanessa manages a food market.<ref name="NTYSons"/><ref name="Vanessa">Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="JoanneTrial">Template:Cite news</ref>

Chuvalo's life, including the blows he had received in his boxing career, had taken a toll on his cognitive abilities.<ref name="Dementia">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="Joanne">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="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.<ref name="IrishBio"/><ref name="Keys">Template:Cite web</ref>

Professional boxing record

Template:Abbr	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
93	Template:Yes2Win	Template:Nowrap	George Jerome	TKO	3 (12)	Dec 11, 1978	Template:Small	Template:Small
92	Template:Yes2Win	72–18–2	Earl McLeay	TKO	1 (12)	Dec 8, 1977	Template:Small	Template:Small
91	Template:Yes2Win	71–18–2	Bob Felstein	KO	9 (12)	Mar 7, 1977	Template:Small	Template:Small
90	Template:Yes2Win	70–18–2	Mike Boswell	KO	7 (10)	Oct 30, 1973	Template:Small
89	Template:Yes2Win	69–18–2	Tony Ventura	TKO	3 (10)	Sep 25, 1973	Template:Small
88	Template:Yes2Win	68–18–2	Charlie Boston	KO	2	Sep 5, 1972	Template:Small
87	Template:Yes2Win	67–18–2	Tommy Burns	KO	1 (12)	Aug 10, 1972	Template:Small	Template:Small
86	Template:No2Loss	66–18–2	Muhammad Ali	UD	12	May 1, 1972	Template:Small	Template:Small
85	Template:Yes2Win	66–17–2	Jim Christopher	KO	2 (10)	Feb 21, 1972	Template:Small
84	Template:Yes2Win	65–17–2	Charley Chase	TKO	6 (12)	Jan 28, 1972	Template:Small	Template:Small
83	Template:Yes2Win	64–17–2	Cleveland Williams	UD	10	Nov 17, 1971	Template:Small
82	Template:No2Loss	63–17–2	Jimmy Ellis	UD	10	May 10, 1971	Template:Small
81	Template:Yes2Win	63–16–2	Charles Couture	KO	2 (10)	Dec 11, 1970	Template:Small
80	Template:Yes2Win	62–16–2	Tony Ventura	TKO	4 (10)	Nov 5, 1970	Template:Small
79	Template:Yes2Win	61–16–2	Tommy Burns	KO	1 (12)	Oct 24, 1970	Template:Small
78	Template:Yes2Win	60–16–2	Mike Bruce	KO	2 (10)	Aug 15, 1970	Template:Small
77	Template:No2Loss	59–16–2	George Foreman	TKO	3 (10)	Aug 4, 1970	Template:Small
76	Template:Yes2Win	59–15–2	Charlie Reno	KO	3 (10)	Jun 30, 1970	Template:Small
75	Template:Yes2Win	58–15–2	Gino Ricci	TKO	1 (10)	May 10, 1970	Template:Small
74	Template:Yes2Win	57–15–2	Willie Tiger	KO	10 (10)	May 1, 1970	Template:Small
73	Template:Yes2Win	56–15–2	Jerry Quarry	KO	7 (10)	Dec 12, 1969	Template:Small
72	Template:Yes2Win	55–15–2	Leslie Borden	TKO	3 (10)	Nov 16, 1969	Template:Small
71	Template:Yes2Win	54–15–2	Stamford Harris	TKO	3 (12)	Sep 8, 1969	Template:Small
70	Template:No2Loss	53–15–2	Buster Mathis	UD	12	Feb 3, 1969	Template:Small
69	Template:Yes2Win	53–14–2	Dante Cane	TKO	7 (10)	Nov 12, 1968	Template:Small
68	Template:Yes2Win	52–14–2	Manuel Ramos	TKO	5 (10)	Sep 26, 1968	Template:Small
67	Template:Yes2Win	51–14–2	Vic Brown	TKO	3 (10)	Sep 17, 1968	Template:Small
66	Template:Yes2Win	50–14–2	Levi Forte	TKO	2 (10)	Sep 3, 1968	Template:Small
65	Template:Yes2Win	49–14–2	Johnny Featherman	KO	1 (12)	Jun 30, 1968	Template:Small
64	Template:Yes2Win	48–14–2	Jean-Claude Roy	UD	12	Jun 5, 1968	Template:Small	Template:Small
63	Template:No2Loss	47–14–2	Joe Frazier	TKO	4 (10)	Jul 19, 1967	Template:Small
62	Template:Yes2Win	47–13–2	Archie Ray	TKO	2 (10)	Jun 22, 1967	Template:Small
61	Template:Yes2Win	46–13–2	Willi Besmanoff	TKO	3 (10)	May 27, 1967	Template:Small
60	Template:Yes2Win	45–13–2	Willi Besmanoff	TKO	3 (10)	Apr 4, 1967	Template:Small
59	Template:Yes2Win	44–13–2	Buddy Moore	KO	2 (10)	Mar 20, 1967	Template:Small
58	Template:Yes2Win	43–13–2	Dick Wipperman	TKO	3 (10)	Feb 22, 1967	Template:Small
57	Template:Yes2Win	42–13–2	Vic Brown	KO	4 (10)	Jan 16, 1967	Template:Small
56	Template:Yes2Win	41–13–2	Willie McCormick	KO	3 (10)	Dec 16, 1966	Template:Small
55	Template:Yes2Win	40–13–2	Dave Russell	TKO	2 (10)	Nov 28, 1966	Template:Small
54	Template:Yes2Win	39–13–2	Boston Jacobs	TKO	3 (10)	Nov 21, 1966	Template:Small
53	Template:Yes2Win	38–13–2	Dick Wipperman	TKO	5 (10)	Oct 12, 1966	Template:Small
52	Template:Yes2Win	37–13–2	Bob Avery	TKO	2 (15)	Sep 15, 1966	Template:Small
51	Template:Yes2Win	36–13–2	Mel Turnbow	KO	7 (10)	Aug 16, 1966	Template:Small
50	Template:No2Loss	35–13–2	Oscar Bonavena	MD	12	Jun 23, 1966	Template:Small
49	Template:Yes2Win	35–12–2	Levi Forte	TKO	2 (10)	May 15, 1966	Template:Small
48	Template:No2Loss	34–12–2	Muhammad Ali	UD	15	Mar 29, 1966	Template:Small	Template:Small
47	Template:No2Loss	34–11–2	Eduardo Corletti	PTS	10	Jan 25, 1966	Template:Small
46	Template:Yes2Win	34–10–2	Joe Bygraves	Template:Abbr	10	Dec 7, 1965	Template:Small
45	Template:No2Loss	33–10–2	Ernie Terrell	UD	15	Nov 1, 1965	Template:Small	Template:Small
44	Template:Yes2Win	33–9–2	Orvin Veazey	KO	2 (10)	Aug 17, 1965	Template:Small
43	Template:Yes2Win	32–9–2	Dave Bailey	KO	3 (10)	Jun 30, 1965	Template:Small
42	Template:Yes2Win	31–9–2	Ed Sonny Andrews	TKO	1 (10)	Jun 7, 1965	Template:Small
41	Template:Yes2Win	30–9–2	Bill Nielsen	TKO	8 (10)	Apr 19, 1965	Template:Small
40	Template:No2Loss	29–9–2	Floyd Patterson	UD	12	Feb 1, 1965	Template:Small
39	Template:Yes2Win	29–8–2	Calvin Butler	KO	3 (10)	Nov 10, 1964	Template:Small
38	Template:Yes2Win	28–8–2	Doug Jones	TKO	11 (12)	Oct 2, 1964	Template:Small
37	Template:Yes2Win	27–8–2	Don Prout	TKO	3 (10)	Jul 27, 1964	Template:Small
36	Template:Yes2Win	26–8–2	Hugh Mercier	KO	1 (12)	Mar 18, 1964	Template:Small	Template:Small
35	Template:No2Loss	25–8–2	Zora Folley	UD	10	Jan 17, 1964	Template:Small
34	Template:DrawDraw	25–7–2	Tony Alongi	PTS	10	Nov 8, 1963	Template:Small	Template:Small
33	Template:Yes2Win	25–7–1	Mike DeJohn	Template:Abbr	10	Sep 27, 1963	Template:Small
32	Template:Yes2Win	24–7–1	Lloyd Washington	KO	2 (10)	May 18, 1963	Template:Small
31	Template:Yes2Win	23–7–1	Chico Gardner	KO	4 (10)	Apr 29, 1963	Template:Small
30	Template:Yes2Win	22–7–1	James Wakefield	TKO	6 (10)	Apr 22, 1963	Template:Small
29	Template:Yes2Win	21–7–1	Rico Brooks	TKO	2 (10)	Mar 15, 1963	Template:Small
28	Template:No2Loss	20–7–1	Joe Erskine	Template:Abbr	5 (12)	Oct 2, 1961	Template:Small	Template:Small
27	Template:No2Loss	20–6–1	Bob Cleroux	SD	12	Aug 8, 1961	Template:Small	Template:Small
26	Template:Yes2Win	20–5–1	Willi Besmanoff	TKO	4 (10)	Jun 27, 1961	Template:Small
25	Template:Yes2Win	19–5–1	Alex Miteff	SD	10	Mar 27, 1961	Template:Small
24	Template:Yes2Win	18–5–1	Bob Cleroux	UD	12	Nov 23, 1960	Template:Small	Template:Small
23	Template:No2Loss	17–5–1	Bob Cleroux	SD	12	Aug 17, 1960	Template:Small	Template:Small
22	Template:No2Loss	17–4–1	Pete Rademacher	UD	10	Jul 19, 1960	Template:Small
21	Template:Yes2Win	17–3–1	Yvon Durelle	KO	12 (12)	Nov 17, 1959	Template:Small	Template:Small
20	Template:Yes2Win	16–3–1	Frankie Daniels	TKO	7 (10)	Sep 14, 1959	Template:Small
19	Template:No2Loss	15–3–1	Pat McMurtry	UD	10	Oct 17, 1958	Template:Small
18	Template:Yes2Win	15–2–1	James J. Parker	KO	1 (12)	Sep 15, 1959	Template:Small	Template:Small
17	Template:DrawDraw	14–2–1	Alex Miteff	Template:Abbr	10	Jun 16, 1958	Template:Small
16	Template:Yes2Win	14–2	Howard King	KO	2 (10)	Apr 21, 1958	Template:Small
15	Template:Yes2Win	13–2	Julio Mederos	UD	10	Jan 27, 1958	Template:Small
14	Template:No2Loss	12–2	Bob Baker	UD	10	Sep 9, 1957	Template:Small
13	Template:Yes2Win	12–1	Joe Schmolze	KO	4 (10)	Jun 6, 1957	Template:Small
12	Template:Yes2Win	11–1	Emil Brtko	TKO	2 (10)	Apr 22, 1957	Template:Small
11	Template:Yes2Win	10–1	Moses Graham	KO	2 (8)	Mar 25, 1957	Template:Small
10	Template:Yes2Win	9–1	Walter Hafer	KO	3 (8)	Mar 4, 1957	Template:Small
9	Template:Yes2Win	8–1	Sid Russell	KO	1 (8)	Jan 14, 1957	Template:Small
8	Template:Yes2Win	7–1	Bob Biehler	UD	8	Nov 19, 1956	Template:Small
7	Template:No2Loss	6–1	Howard King	Template:Abbr	8	Oct 22, 1956	Template:Small
6	Template:Yes2Win	6–0	Joe Evans	KO	1 (8)	Sep 10, 1956	Template:Small
5	Template:Yes2Win	5–0	John Arthur	Template:Abbr	8	Jun 11, 1956	Template:Small
4	Template:Yes2Win	4–0	Ed McGee	KO	1 (3)	Apr 23, 1956	Template:Small	Template:Small
3	Template:Yes2Win	3–0	Ross Gregory	KO	1 (3)	Apr 23, 1956	Template:Small	Template:Small
2	Template:Yes2Win	2–0	Jim Leonard	Template:Abbr	2 (3)	Apr 23, 1956	Template:Small	Template:Small
1	Template:Yes2Win	1–0	Gordon Baldwin	Template:Abbr	2	Apr 23, 1956	Template:Small	Template:Small 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 Template:Webarchive Template:Boxrec 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 Template:IMDb name Template:Discogs artist