In 1966, George Chuvalo faced off against Muhammad Ali at Maple Leaf Gardens in an attempt to strip The Greatest of his world title. Ali would call the Canadian boxing great the toughest guy he ever fought.
“I wasn’t afraid to fight anybody,” the 78-year-old Toronto native told CTV News Channel on Friday – the day Ali was being laid to rest in his hometown, Louisville, Kentucky.
“His greatest asset was his speed: speed of hand, speed of foot,” Chuvalo said. “If I kept him on the ropes, I was going OK. But if I let him stray, so to speak, out to the centre of the ring, then he was a pretty tough opponent.”
After an epic 15 rounds, the five-time Canadian heavyweight champion lost by decision.
In a career spanning two decades, Chuvalo was never knocked down by an opponent. A second fight against Ali in 1972 would also end in a decision for Ali. That would be the last major fight of Chuvalo’s career.
“I gave him a tough fight both times,” Chuvalo reminisced. “And I was happy in one way with the outcome of the first fight… it helped enhance my reputation as a tough guy.”
Despite the two losses, there was no bad blood between the heavyweight fighters.
“He was a great guy,” Chuvalo recalled. “He was a very decent guy, great sense of humour and good to his friends – good to people in general.”
