Canadian boxing star George Chuvalo of Toronto, Ontario passed away on Saturday at the age of 89. Ironically, Chuvalo died on the same day as his 89th birthday according to Spiro Papuckoski of the Toronto Sun.
Chuvalo had an overall record of 73 wins and 18 losses at the professional level. He was a five-time Canadian heavyweight champion and was told by Muhammad Ali that he was the toughest boxer he ever faced. Ali defeated Chuvalo at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario for the heavyweight title on March 29, 1966. Ali won the match in 15 rounds, and it is widely considered as the best boxing match ever to take place in Canada.
Chuvalo’s fight against Ali was for the WBC Heavyweight title. It was the second time in Chuvallo’s career he fought for the heavyweight championship. He was beaten by American Ernie Terrell for the WBA Heavyweight title on November 1, 1965.
In 93 career fights, Chuvalo was never once knocked out. In 1965, Chuvalo was ranked as high as third in the world. Chuvalo’s accomplishments included being named Order of Canada in 1998, and receiving a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2005. Chuvalo was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1990, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1995, and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997.
