George Chuvalo (September 12, 1937) is a Canadian former professional Heavyweight boxer who is most famous for his extremely durable chin, even managing to take punches from heavy punchers like George Foreman without being knocked out. He is well known for his two fights with Muhammad Ali.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Chuvalo was born in Toronto, Canada to Croat parents from rural villages in Croatia. While he attended school in Toronto, he fought in amateur championships. His amateur career was quite successful with his record being 16-0 all by KOs. He won a heavyweight tournament held by Jack Dempsey and turned professional, knocking out four opponents in just one day.
Professional career[]
His first fight was against former champion Floyd Patterson where he lost by a close decision. His most famous fights were two bouts against champion Muhammad Ali. Ali never knocked him down, saying he was one of the toughest boxers he ever fought. Chuvalo lost both times by split decision. He managed to take punches from heavy punchers like Joe Frazier and George Foreman, he lost by a TKO against Foreman and Fraizer, with Fraizer severely damaging his cheek bones and nearly shut his eyes. He managed to win fights against Cleveland Williams and Howard King. e got an eleventh-round knockout against contender Doug Jones on October 2, 1964 notably using the boxing technique 'kill the body and the head dies'.
Record and Statistics[]
Statistics[]
Name: George Chuvalo
Nationality: Canadian
Nicknames: None
Weight: Heavyweight
Height: 6'0
Stance: Orthodox
Boxing Record[]
Fights: 94
Wins: 72
Wins by KO: 63
Losses: 19
Draws: 2
No contests: 0