George Chuvalo has sadly passed away at the age of 89. The iconic boxer, who hailed from Canada, is best known as the fighter who was never knocked down during his career. However, Chuvalo will also be remembered for the greats he shared a ring with.
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Throughout his iconic career, Chuvalo battled against Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, and Joe Frazier. He retired with a 73-18 record, with an additional two draws. In total, Chuvalo competed in 93 professional bouts. It's that high number that makes his feat of never being knocked down so impressive.
Not only did he have an iron jaw, but he also boasted solid movement, head speed, and some dangerous punching power.
Chuvalo, nicknamed 'Boom Boom,' began his career in 1956, when he had four fights on the same night. His first opponent was Gordon Baldwin, whom he defeated by TKO. His next three fights all ended in victories; however, the names of those opponents aren't readily available. We are talking about 70 years ago here.
Over the next 14 years, Chuvalo rose up the heavyweight rankings, establishing himself as a force within the sport. That is, until he came up against Ali, who secured a win via unanimous decision. Chuvalo then conceded that Ali was "the toughest guy I ever fought," via The Sun.
It Took George Chuvalo 63 Fights Before Suffering a TKO
In boxing, most fighters experience a TKO early in their career, as they become accustomed to the step up in competition in the professional ranks. However, for Chuvalo, it wasn't until his 63rd fight, which was against Frazer, that he suffered his first TKO.
He later lost to Foreman in a similar fashion. Then, toward the end of his career, Chuvalo stepped back into the ring against Ali, losing by decision for the second time in his career.
Nevertheless, Chuvalo will be remembered for his grit and for never being knocked down. In part, that's why he was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
Currently, there's no information regarding the cause of Chuvalo's death. Furthermore, no details regarding his upcoming funeral or celebration of life have been made public.
