George Chuvalo

George Chuvalo (born September 12, 1937, Toronto, Ontario, Canada—died September 12, 2026, Toronto) was a Canadian professional boxer and heavyweight champion of Canada. Known for his toughness, Chuvalo was never knocked down in a match.

(Read Gene Tunney’s 1929 Britannica essay on boxing.)

Chuvalo’s forte was the knockout punch, and he used it to record 64 of his 73 victories in a 93-bout career that began in 1956 and continued through 1973. He held the Canadian heavyweight title three times during his career but was unsuccessful in his two bids to win the world championship. Both losses were on 15-round decisions, one at the hands of Ernie Terrell (for the World Boxing Association version of the title) on November 1, 1965, and the other from Muhammad Ali on March 29, 1966. Ali called him the “toughest guy I ever fought.” Chuvalo also lost to three other boxers who were world heavyweight champions during the course of their careers: Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman.

After his retirement from boxing, Chuvalo became involved in an antidrug campaign throughout Canada. The cause had personal meaning for him, as several of his family members had died because of drug use.