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George Chuvalo, Canadian boxing icon, dies at 89

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George Chuvalo, the five-time Canadian heavyweight champion who fought Muhammad Ali twice and was never knocked down, has died at 89.

George Chuvalo, the five-time Canadian heavyweight champion who traded blows with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier yet was never once dropped to the canvas, has died at the age of 89. The Toronto fighter died on Saturday, which was also his birthday, according to Sully's Boxing Gym, the club where he trained.

Chuvalo built a record that few in his sport could match. Across 93 professional bouts he won 73, lost 18 and drew two. Through all of them, no opponent ever knocked him off his feet - a feat that became the defining fact of his career and the root of his reputation for a granite jaw and endless endurance.

He was born in 1937 to Croatian immigrant parents and raised in Toronto, where he took up the sport as a boy. He went on to face some of the biggest names in heavyweight history, including George Foreman, Frazier and Ali, and came to be described by many as Canada's finest fighting man.

Chuvalo met Ali in the ring twice, in 1966 and again in 1972. He lost both contests, but he left a lasting mark on his opponent: Ali later said Chuvalo was the toughest man he had ever stepped in against.

"George Chuvalo was a heavyweight boxing legend, a family friend and a Canadian icon," Ontario Premier Doug Ford wrote in a message online. "My thoughts are with all of George's family and loved ones as we mourn his passing."

His old gym paid tribute to the place he held in the sport. "His photos have hung on our walls for decades. His stories have been passed down from one generation of fighters to the next," Sully's Boxing said in a statement.

Life after the ring

Chuvalo hung up his gloves in 1978. In the years that followed he crossed the country as a speaker, using his own life to warn audiences about the dangers of drug use and to press for greater attention to mental health. His message carried the weight of personal loss: Chuvalo has said he lost three sons and his wife to drug overdoses and suicide.

"I'd like to think if you're ever tempted with the idea of doing drugs, or you ever flirt with doing drugs, I hope you think of me, George Chuvalo, and what drugs did to my family," he said in remarks reported by a CBC Radio broadcast in 1998.

He also found work away from the podium. Chuvalo took small acting roles, turning up in the 1998 comedy Dirty Work and appearing beside Jeff Goldblum in the 1986 horror film The Fly. He worked as a guest commentator on major fights and co-hosted a television boxing show called Greatest Knockouts alongside his friend and fellow fighter Charles "Spider" Jones.

Chuvalo is survived by his eldest son, Mitch, his daughter, Vanessa, his grandchildren and his second wife, Joanne.

George Chuvalo, Canadian boxing, heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali, Sully's Boxing, boxing legend, Doug Ford, Toronto boxer

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