George Chuvalo


George Louis Chuvalo CM is a retired Canadian professional boxer who was a five-time Canadian heavyweight champion, and two-time world heavyweight title challenger. Chuvalo was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

Early life and career

George was a child of Croatian immigrants Stipan and Katica from Herzegovina. Chuvalo became the Canadian amateur heavyweight champion in May 1955, defeating Winnipeg's Peter Piper with a first-round KO in a tournament final in Regina, Saskatchewan. Chuvalo finished his amateur career with a 16–0–0 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's champion Jack Dempsey at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on April 26, 1956.

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. Six years later in Vancouver, Chuvalo and Ali fought a rematch on May 1, 1972 when Ali was no longer world heavyweight champion. Ali won a unanimous 12-round decision.

Tributes and other appearances

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 came to Sarajevo to attend the unveiling of a statue in his honor in Ljubuški on Sunday, December 18, 2011.

Professional boxing record