Chuvalo finished his career at 73-18-2 with 64 knockouts. His extraordinary durability made him famous, but he was far more than a fighter who absorbed punishment. He held the Canadian heavyweight title for much of his career, climbed as high as No. 2 in the world rankings, and defeated Jerry Quarry, Cleveland Williams, Mike DeJohn, Doug Jones, and Yvon Durelle.
His name will always be linked with Muhammad Ali. Chuvalo accepted their first fight on only 17 days’ notice and challenged Ali for the world heavyweight championship at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on March 29, 1966. Ali won a 15-round unanimous deci
