Toronto boxing legend George Chuvalo, who famously went the distance with Muhammad Ali and was never knocked down in 93 professional fights, has died at the age of 89.
Sully’s Boxing Gym in Toronto, where Chuvalo trained during his career, confirmed that he died Saturday, Sept. 12, on his 89th birthday. Chuvalo finished his professional career with a 73-18-2 record and 64 knockouts, but it was one night in Toronto that would come to define much of his legacy.
On March 29, 1966, Chuvalo stepped into the ring at Maple Leaf Gardens against Muhammad Ali, who was then the undefeated world heavyweight champion.
Chuvalo had accepted the fight with just 17 days’ notice after Ali’s planned bout against Ernie Terrell fell through. He entered as a heavy underdog, but then somehow did something no fighter had previously managed against Ali in a title fight: he stayed on his feet for all 15 rounds. Ali won by unanimous decision, but he couldn’t put the Toronto fighter on the canvas.
After the fight, Ali complimented Chuvalo with a statement that would follow him for the rest of his career: “He’s the toughest guy I ever fought.”
Chuvalo faced Ali again in Vancouver in 1972 and once again went the distance. His ability to absorb punishment became part of boxing lore, especially because he was never knocked down during any of his professional bouts, despite sharing the ring with other prime fighters like Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Floyd Patterson.
The Toronto native had been drawn to boxing since childhood. Chuvalo grew up in the Junction and recalled sparring with friends in a neighbourhood parking lot before beginning to fight competitively. He turned pro in 1956 and eventually became one of the best-known Canadian heavyweights of his generation (Toronto recognized him with a key to the city in 2013).
In 2014, Chuvalo returned to the Mattamy Athletic Centre (the former Maple Leaf Gardens) and rang the same bell connected to the 1966 fight, nearly half a century after he answered it for 15 rounds.
Chuvalo’s professional career also ended in, well, distinctly Toronto fashion. His final fight took place at St. Lawrence Market on Dec. 11, 1978, when the 41-year-old defeated George Jerome by TKO to retain the Canadian heavyweight title. It brought a 22-year professional career to a close just a few kilometres from where his most famous fight had taken place.
Outside the ring, Chuvalo endured devastating personal loss. Three of his sons and his first wife died amid drug addiction and suicide, and so he later travelled to schools across Canada to speak to young people about the consequences of drug use.
His career eventually earned him induction into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and membership in the Order of Canada.