George Chuvalo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids George ChuvaloCM |
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![]() Chuvalo in April 2010
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Statistics | |
Real name | Jure Čuvalo |
Rated at | Heavyweight |
Height | 6 ft 0 in |
Reach | 71 in |
Born | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
September 12, 1937
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 93 |
Wins | 73 |
Wins by KO | 63 |
Losses | 18 |
Draws | 2 |
George Louis Chuvalo CM OOnt (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. Chuvalo unsuccessfully challenged Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight championship in 1966. Chuvalo was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
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Early life and career
George was a child of Croatian immigrants Stipan and Katica from Herzegovina (Ljubuški, 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. 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.
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.
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.
Other notable contests
George also had some losses against famous fighters other than his two losses to Ali. In 1957, George lost to Bob Baker, who was ranked as high as number two contender in 1955. This was his thirteenth fight and second professional loss. He also lost to Zora Folley, who was once ranked as the top contender. Among his victories was a win against Doug Jones, who gave Muhammad Ali a closely contested bout in 1963.
Tributes and other appearances
Chuvalo also appeared in 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), The Return of Eliot Ness (1991), Lee's Offering (2005) and Sicilian Vampire (2015).
His 1966 match against Ali was the subject of Joseph Blasioli's 2003 documentary film The Last Round: Chuvalo vs. Ali.
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 travelled to Sarajevo to attend the unveiling of a statue in his honour in Ljubuški on December 18, 2011.
On May 11, 2019, the George Chuvalo Community Centre in Toronto, Ontario, opened which provide a variety of recreational programs for children as well as LGBTQ youth.
Personal life
When Chuvalo was 21, he married 15 year old Lynne, with whom he had five children: Mitchell, Steven, George Lee (George Jr.), Jesse, and Vanessa. ..... The trio would often rob local pharmacies of prescription medication, for which they frequently served jail time. ..... By the time of Steven's death, Chuvalo had also found himself in financial distress; the mortage 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. Chuvalo's son Mitchell would become a high school teacher, while Vanessa would become the department manager of a Toronto food market. As of 2011, Chuvalo had six grandchildren. On February 28, 2013, his granddaughter Rachel died of cancer.
After Lynne's death, Chuvalo married his second wife, Joanne, in 1994, and adopted her two children: Jesse and Ruby. Joanne, who had worked with Lynne, stopped by Chuvalo's house after her death to share condolences, which eventually led to a romance. Since the mid-2010s, Joanne and Chuvalo's biological children from his first marriage have had several legal battles, largely led by a decline in Chuvalo's cognitive abilities which has led him to being incapable of leading many of his personal affairs.
Chuvalo's cognitive abilities had taken a toll later in life, driven by blows he has received in his boxing career. In 2018, a judge ruled that Chuvalo did not have the mental capacity to determine if he wished to reconcile with his wife, and by 2022, he was suffering from advanced dementia. In 2022, Chuvalo tested positive for COVID-19, although made a recovery.
Chuvalo is a Catholic. 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.
Professional boxing record
94 fights | 74 wins | 18 losses |
By knockout | 64 | 2 |
By decision | 10 | 15 |
By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
Draws | 2 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
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93 | Win | 73–18–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (12) | Dec 11, 1978 | ![]() |
Retained Canadian heavyweight title |
92 | Win | 72–18–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (12) | Dec 8, 1977 | ![]() |
Retained Canadian heavyweight title |
91 | Win | 71–18–2 | ![]() |
KO | 9 (12) | Mar 7, 1977 | ![]() |
Won vacant Canadian heavyweight title |
90 | Win | 70–18–2 | ![]() |
KO | 7 (10) | Oct 30, 1973 | ![]() |
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89 | Win | 69–18–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (10) | Sep 25, 1973 | ![]() |
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88 | Win | 68–18–2 | ![]() |
KO | 2 | Sep 5, 1972 | ![]() |
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87 | Win | 67–18–2 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (12) | Aug 10, 1972 | ![]() |
Retained Canadian heavyweight title |
86 | Loss | 66–18–2 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | May 1, 1972 | ![]() |
For NABF heavyweight title |
85 | Win | 66–17–2 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (10) | Feb 21, 1972 | ![]() |
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84 | Win | 65–17–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 6 (12) | Jan 28, 1972 | ![]() |
Retained Canadian heavyweight title |
83 | Win | 64–17–2 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Nov 17, 1971 | ![]() |
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82 | Loss | 63–17–2 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | May 10, 1971 | ![]() |
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81 | Win | 63–16–2 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (10) | Dec 11, 1970 | ![]() |
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80 | Win | 62–16–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 4 (10) | Nov 5, 1970 | ![]() |
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79 | Win | 61–16–2 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (12) | Oct 24, 1970 | ![]() |
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78 | Win | 60–16–2 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (10) | Aug 15, 1970 | ![]() |
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77 | Loss | 59–16–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (10) | Aug 4, 1970 | ![]() |
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76 | Win | 59–15–2 | ![]() |
KO | 3 (10) | Jun 30, 1970 | ![]() |
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75 | Win | 58–15–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (10) | May 10, 1970 | ![]() |
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74 | Win | 57–15–2 | ![]() |
KO | 10 (10) | May 1, 1970 | ![]() |
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73 | Win | 56–15–2 | ![]() |
KO | 7 (10) | Dec 12, 1969 | ![]() |
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72 | Win | 55–15–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (10) | Nov 16, 1969 | ![]() |
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71 | Win | 54–15–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (12) | Sep 8, 1969 | ![]() |
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70 | Loss | 53–15–2 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Feb 3, 1969 | ![]() |
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69 | Win | 53–14–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 7 (10) | Nov 12, 1968 | ![]() |
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68 | Win | 52–14–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 (10) | Sep 26, 1968 | ![]() |
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67 | Win | 51–14–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (10) | Sep 17, 1968 | ![]() |
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66 | Win | 50–14–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (10) | Sep 3, 1968 | ![]() |
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65 | Win | 49–14–2 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (12) | Jun 30, 1968 | ![]() |
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64 | Win | 48–14–2 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Jun 5, 1968 | ![]() |
Won Canadian heavyweight title |
63 | Loss | 47–14–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 4 (10) | Jul 19, 1967 | ![]() |
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62 | Win | 47–13–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (10) | Jun 22, 1967 | ![]() |
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61 | Win | 46–13–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (10) | May 27, 1967 | ![]() |
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60 | Win | 45–13–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (10) | Apr 4, 1967 | ![]() |
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59 | Win | 44–13–2 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (10) | Mar 20, 1967 | ![]() |
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58 | Win | 43–13–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (10) | Feb 22, 1967 | ![]() |
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57 | Win | 42–13–2 | ![]() |
KO | 4 (10) | Jan 16, 1967 | ![]() |
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56 | Win | 41–13–2 | ![]() |
KO | 3 (10) | Dec 16, 1966 | ![]() |
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55 | Win | 40–13–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (10) | Nov 28, 1966 | ![]() |
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54 | Win | 39–13–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (10) | Nov 21, 1966 | ![]() |
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53 | Win | 38–13–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 (10) | Oct 12, 1966 | ![]() |
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52 | Win | 37–13–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (15) | Sep 15, 1966 | ![]() |
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51 | Win | 36–13–2 | ![]() |
KO | 7 (10) | Aug 16, 1966 | ![]() |
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50 | Loss | 35–13–2 | ![]() |
MD | 12 | Jun 23, 1966 | ![]() |
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49 | Win | 35–12–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (10) | May 15, 1966 | ![]() |
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48 | Loss | 34–12–2 | ![]() |
UD | 15 | Mar 29, 1966 | ![]() |
For WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
47 | Loss | 34–11–2 | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | Jan 25, 1966 | ![]() |
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46 | Win | 34–10–2 | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | Dec 7, 1965 | ![]() |
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45 | Loss | 33–10–2 | ![]() |
UD | 15 | Nov 1, 1965 | ![]() |
For WBA heavyweight title |
44 | Win | 33–9–2 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (10) | Aug 17, 1965 | ![]() |
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43 | Win | 32–9–2 | ![]() |
KO | 3 (10) | Jun 30, 1965 | ![]() |
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42 | Win | 31–9–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (10) | Jun 7, 1965 | ![]() |
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41 | Win | 30–9–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 8 (10) | Apr 19, 1965 | ![]() |
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40 | Loss | 29–9–2 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Feb 1, 1965 | ![]() |
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39 | Win | 29–8–2 | ![]() |
KO | 3 (10) | Nov 10, 1964 | ![]() |
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38 | Win | 28–8–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 11 (12) | Oct 2, 1964 | ![]() |
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37 | Win | 27–8–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (10) | Jul 27, 1964 | ![]() |
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36 | Win | 26–8–2 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (12) | Mar 18, 1964 | ![]() |
Won vacant Canadian heavyweight title |
35 | Loss | 25–8–2 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Jan 17, 1964 | ![]() |
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34 | Draw | 25–7–2 | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | Nov 8, 1963 | ![]() |
Originally a decision win for Algoni, result was changed to a draw after an error with the scoring |
33 | Win | 25–7–1 | ![]() |
MD | 10 | Sep 27, 1963 | ![]() |
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32 | Win | 24–7–1 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (10) | May 18, 1963 | ![]() |
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31 | Win | 23–7–1 | ![]() |
KO | 4 (10) | Apr 29, 1963 | ![]() |
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30 | Win | 22–7–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 6 (10) | Apr 22, 1963 | ![]() |
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29 | Win | 21–7–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (10) | Mar 15, 1963 | ![]() |
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28 | Loss | 20–7–1 | ![]() |
DQ | 5 (12) | Oct 2, 1961 | ![]() |
Chuvalo was disqualified for headbutting |
27 | Loss | 20–6–1 | ![]() |
SD | 12 | Aug 8, 1961 | ![]() |
Lost Canadian heavyweight title |
26 | Win | 20–5–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 4 (10) | Jun 27, 1961 | ![]() |
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25 | Win | 19–5–1 | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Mar 27, 1961 | ![]() |
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24 | Win | 18–5–1 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Nov 23, 1960 | ![]() |
Won Canadian heavyweight title |
23 | Loss | 17–5–1 | ![]() |
SD | 12 | Aug 17, 1960 | ![]() |
Lost Canadian heavyweight title |
22 | Loss | 17–4–1 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Jul 19, 1960 | ![]() |
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21 | Win | 17–3–1 | ![]() |
KO | 12 (12) | Nov 17, 1959 | ![]() |
Retained Canadian heavyweight title |
20 | Win | 16–3–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 7 (10) | Sep 14, 1959 | ![]() |
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19 | Loss | 15–3–1 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Oct 17, 1958 | ![]() |
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18 | Win | 15–2–1 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (12) | Sep 15, 1959 | ![]() |
Won vacant Canadian heavyweight title |
17 | Draw | 14–2–1 | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | Jun 16, 1958 | ![]() |
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16 | Win | 14–2 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (10) | Apr 21, 1958 | ![]() |
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15 | Win | 13–2 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Jan 27, 1958 | ![]() |
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14 | Loss | 12–2 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Sep 9, 1957 | ![]() |
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13 | Win | 12–1 | ![]() |
KO | 4 (10) | Jun 6, 1957 | ![]() |
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12 | Win | 11–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (10) | Apr 22, 1957 | ![]() |
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11 | Win | 10–1 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (8) | Mar 25, 1957 | ![]() |
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10 | Win | 9–1 | ![]() |
KO | 3 (8) | Mar 4, 1957 | ![]() |
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9 | Win | 8–1 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (8) | Jan 14, 1957 | ![]() |
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8 | Win | 7–1 | ![]() |
UD | 8 | Nov 19, 1956 | ![]() |
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7 | Loss | 6–1 | ![]() |
SD | 8 | Oct 22, 1956 | ![]() |
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6 | Win | 6–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (8) | Sep 10, 1956 | ![]() |
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5 | Win | 5–0 | ![]() |
UD | 8 | Jun 11, 1956 | ![]() |
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4 | Win | 4–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (3) | Apr 23, 1956 | ![]() |
Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament |
3 | Win | 3–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (3) | Apr 23, 1956 | ![]() |
Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament |
2 | Win | 2–0 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (3) | Apr 23, 1956 | ![]() |
Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament |
1 | Win | 1–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 | Apr 23, 1956 | ![]() |
Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament |
See also
In Spanish: George Chuvalo para niños