George Chuvalo
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George Chuvalo, CM (born September 12, 1937) is a Canadian heavyweight boxer (1958-1979) who went ninety-three professional fights without being knocked down.
Chuvalo was born to Croatian parents in Toronto, Canada in 1937 and became Canadian amateur heavyweight champion in 1956. During his 21-year career he fought some of the best boxers including Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Floyd Patterson, Ernie Terrell, Joe Frazier, Jerry Quarry and many others. His professional record is at 73 wins (64 by knockout), 18 losses, and 2 draws.
He had two memorable fights against Muhammad Ali, both times going the distance. The first in 1966 went fifteen rounds with the decision going to Ali. After the fight Ali said "He [Chuvalo] was the toughest man I ever fought. He took all my best shots." The second was in 1972 and went twelve rounds, the close decision going to Ali. These fights, along with Ali's fight with Chuck Wepner, provided inspiration for Sylvester Stallone's Rocky.
Heavyweight Champion's Joe Frazier and George Foreman, despite being big punchers, also were unable to knock out Chuvalo, beating him by technical knockout. Foreman mauled Chuvalo, bombing him with punch after punch (Foreman is generally regarded as the hardest hitter in boxing history) yet in his typical display of toughness, when the referee stopped the fight Chuvalo said to him "What are you, nuts?"
Chuvalo was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. He lost two sons to drug overdoses, another son to suicide and his wife to suicide after that. He currently tours giving lectures against drugs and actively participates in charity work, for which he was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1998. He was awarded a star on Canada's walk of fame on Sunday, June 5th, 2005 for his remarkable career and influential life.
External links
- Boxing Record (http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=000119)
- George Chuvalo (http://www.iain.hampson.btinternet.co.uk/george_chuvalo.htm)
- Cyber Boxing Zone (http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/chuvalo.htm)
- First dedicated website (http://www.freewebs.com/georgechuvalo)