new George Chuvalo autobiography(2014)

[semtexreilly]

read this book a few weeks ago,really good read,would recommend it

[orbtastic]

"he wrote a book"
"he's written a book"

[palooka]

"he wrote a book"
"he's written a book"

Good post.

[Cap]

Who the heck is this Klumton guy anyway? He seems to have some kind of blind-obsession with Harry Greb the fighter no one has ever seen. Far as we know Greb was a slap-fighter who went around throwing two million pansy punches impressing the heck out of all the Pittsburgh press. Until some actual film surfaces it's anyone's guess.

As for Chuvalo, he has his faults like any man. I've read his autobiography and it's pretty good. Can't say I agree with all of it but considering he was always the outsider fighting in the States, I think he's got an argument for some bad decisions. And he had some poor performances against guys he should've beaten, but every fighter has bad days. Even Rocky Marciano confessed he wasn't always a hundred percent for every fight. Terrell was a mob fighter. Patterson was a popular former champion. Chuvalo coulda been the guy they were talking about when they said he'd have to knock the other guy out to get a draw. Good thing he KO'd Quarry.

As for Chuvalo fighting a 170 pound feather-fisted Harry Greb. Give me a break! He'd bundle him into a corner drive his fists into Greb's belly and the fight's over.

[bodyblow999]

Strange thread

[klompton]

Who the heck is this Klumton guy anyway? He seems to have some kind of blind-obsession with Harry Greb the fighter no one has ever seen. Far as we know Greb was a slap-fighter who went around throwing two million pansy punches impressing the heck out of all the Pittsburgh press. Until some actual film surfaces it's anyone's guess.

As for Chuvalo, he has his faults like any man. I've read his autobiography and it's pretty good. Can't say I agree with all of it but considering he was always the outsider fighting in the States, I think he's got an argument for some bad decisions. And he had some poor performances against guys he should've beaten, but every fighter has bad days. Even Rocky Marciano confessed he wasn't always a hundred percent for every fight. Terrell was a mob fighter. Patterson was a popular former champion. Chuvalo coulda been the guy they were talking about when they said he'd have to knock the other guy out to get a draw. Good thing he KO'd Quarry.

As for Chuvalo fighting a 170 pound feather-fisted Harry Greb. Give me a break! He'd bundle him into a corner drive his fists into Greb's belly and the fight's over.

This coming from the Canadian expert who has no idea what Jack Renault looks like and apparently thinks there were two Jack Renaults fighting out of Leo P Flynns stable at the same time.

Hey Cap, can you name one fighter that Chuvalo beat that would beat Greb? I didnt think so. Bill Brennan who Greb outmuscled, outboxed, and outpunched four times would have beaten Chuvalo. So would Tommy Gibbons and Gene Tunney to name just a few of the people Greb beat that we can see fight who would have handed Chuvalo his head. Sorry but I think any guy who cant lay a glove on Pete Rademacher is going to have problems with Greb.

[misterpunch]

wow! greb experts and haters gathering in vast numbers - there's gonna be a war!!!!!!!!!!

[gilgamesh]

wow! greb experts and haters gathering in vast numbers - there's gonna be a war!!!!!!!!!!

There's no real Greb haters, just a troll who has found a new target.

[Cap]

Geez! Somebody open a window! What a stinko. Is that the same Bill Brennan who lost three straight to British hope Tom Cowler and managed decisions over a few light heavyweights before being KO'd in 6 by Dempsey? His absolute best career performance was the second Dempsey fight. Everything came together for him then and he still lost. Chuvalo, in shape, would've beaten him that night too, and then gone out dancing with his wife.

George Chuvalo is still a hero to Canadians. We like our heroes flawed. He admits to doing some stupid things in his life, some of them prior to fights in the ring. Tom Gibbons (who was probably only a half inch shorter) on a good night might well win a decision over George, especially prancing around in an American ring. Same for Tunney. But they'd pay a price if George got them in a corner or up against the ropes.

Fighting back in the 20s, Chuvalo woulda been a top draw in any big town. Greb fighting today would be disqualified if he tried to fight the way he did then with open gloves, elbows and backhanders. It was a different anything goes era and refs turned a blind eye to a lot of shady stuff. Even a decade later they were letting mugs like Galento and Baer get away with murder.

[misterpunch]

hmmmm...what time is it?

[klompton]

Geez! Somebody open a window! What a stinko. Is that the same Bill Brennan who lost three straight to British hope Tom Cowler and managed decisions over a few light heavyweights before being KO'd in 6 by Dempsey? His absolute best career performance was the second Dempsey fight. Everything came together for him then and he still lost. Chuvalo, in shape, would've beaten him that night too, and then gone out dancing with his wife.

George Chuvalo is still a hero to Canadians. We like our heroes flawed. He admits to doing some stupid things in his life, some of them prior to fights in the ring. Tom Gibbons (who was probably only a half inch shorter) on a good night might well win a decision over George, especially prancing around in an American ring. Same for Tunney. But they'd pay a price if George got them in a corner or up against the ropes.

Fighting back in the 20s, Chuvalo woulda been a top draw in any big town. Greb fighting today would be disqualified if he tried to fight the way he did then with open gloves, elbows and backhanders. It was a different anything goes era and refs turned a blind eye to a lot of shady stuff. Even a decade later they were letting mugs like Galento and Baer get away with murder.

No the Bill Brennan that was beating one of the most legendary heavyweights of all time before finally succumbing in the 12th. You know, a feat Chuvalo wouldnt even dare to dream about.

Yeah because so many top fighters paid the price when George cornered them...

Its funny you would try to paint Greb as a dirty fighter in light of Chuvalo's tactics. Particularly seeing as how both were only disqualified once albeit Greb's was disputed even by the local commission and Chuvalo was DQd by a hometown ref against legendary Joe Erskine who was coming off a stoppage loss at that point. Poor old George was so frustrated that he couldnt corner Erskine he had to bring every trick in the book, as he often did. Too bad he couldnt have made a career out of fighting Willie Besmanoff and Dick Wipperman. Five pointless fights against those two and Chuvalo looked unstoppable...

Poor Chuvalo, he got bullied around the ring by mediocre ex middleweight Jimmy Ellis and somehow you think hes going to beat Greb. LOL. If you thought Pete Rademacher and Eduardo Corletti made Chuvalo look slow, whew.

[BoxBuzz]

George Chuvalo {KO 7} over Jerry Quarry.

Jerry Quarry would have destroyed Harry Greb's ribs.

Jerry would have knocked that 'slappy dwarf' Harry Greb all over Three Rivers Stadium.

Cmon El Dufe, even you have to admit that that particular fight was "quirky". Bit of a fluke.

Do you think Jerry was really out of that fight? Not sayin it was a conspiracy, not sayin it was anyone's fault but Jerry's.

But the fight was yet to be fought when it unfortunately ended for no other reason than a mathematical miscalculation. lol

So if you want to say that Chuvalo could count better than Jerry....I'm with ya there!

[evrenb]

Strange that Bob Cleroux gets very little attention compared to Chuvalo. Considering that he beat George twice and was never stopped as a professional (Chuvalo was twice). It must be due to Chuvalo's fights with Ali which made him somewhat of a hero....

[Cap]

The George Chuvalo that whipped sentimental favourite Floyd Patterson and got robbed of the decision would destroy that little man, especially if the ref wouldn't let him use now illegal tactics. No points for slapping with open gloves, no thumbs in the eye or heeling or lacing or backhanding or....any of Greb's standard bag of tricks.

Any neutral observer who watched some of the fights Chuvalo lost by decision would admit that he really won, or at worst, should've got a draw. Bad decisions happen all the time in boxing. Chuvalo's career was no exception. Greb fans cry all the time about fights he supposedly won.

Bottom line Chuvalo was one of the best heavyweights of the 1960s and deserves respect from boxing fans for a long and exciting career. Read his book if you want good return for your money.

[Cap]

Strange that Bob Cleroux gets very little attention compared to Chuvalo. Considering that he beat George twice and was never stopped as a professional (Chuvalo was twice). It must be due to Chuvalo's fights with Ali which made him somewhat of a hero....

Most people who saw the three fights (all fought in Cleroux's backyard) thought George easily won the first, he won the second unanimously, and the third was a close split decision. Curious that in that fight, although Chuvalo was champ, the three judges were from Quebec.

[klompton]

Oh I see "the George that whipped Patterson" LOL. Ive never heard so many crybaby excuses for one fighter in my life as constantly appear for George Chuvalo's sorry ass. If George had been allowed to bring a shotgun into the ring he might have been able to hit Greb with something. As it stands the only two decent wins he has are against an over the hill LHW (Doug Jones) and a fluke win over Quarry in a fight he had lost every round and had his face pounded into hamburger. Ive said it a million times before and Ill say it again: George can pretend he was robbed against Foreman, Ali, Terrell, Patterson etc but mysteriously he never has a ready excuse for all of his losses against nobodies. The bottom line is George was only so good and simply didnt have the pedigree to win the big ones. Greb proved size was no detriment to him. He would have handled Chuvalo.

As for your comments on Cleroux: BULLSHIT. Cleroux beat Chuvalo just fine in both their contests with no controversy. Ive seen all three of them Cap you obviously havent. The second fight was razor close. In those three fights the supposedly bull strong Chuvalo was outmuscled by Cleroux and even rag dolled to the mat (WITH ONE ARM) at one point.

[Cap]

"As for your comments on Cleroux: BULLSHIT. Cleroux beat Chuvalo just fine in both their contests with no controversy. Ive seen all three of them Cap you obviously havent. The second fight was razor close. In those three fights the supposedly bull strong Chuvalo was outmuscled by Cleroux and even rag dolled to the mat (WITH ONE ARM) at one point."

The observations of an obviously addled mind. To be pitied more than scorned. Two of the three fights were split decisions. Which ones? The first and the last. Even the biased local Quebec judges had to give Chuvalo the second fight, it was such a lopsided win. My Dad saw the first one live and he was flabbergasted that two of the judges actually gave the decision to Cleroux, thought they must have got their cards mixed up.

As for Greb. Enough ink has been spent on him. He had his day. You want a good read buy CHUVALO by George Chuvalo himself and Murray Greig. Well worth the price. DD

[klompton]

"As for your comments on Cleroux: BULLSHIT. Cleroux beat Chuvalo just fine in both their contests with no controversy. Ive seen all three of them Cap you obviously havent. The second fight was razor close. In those three fights the supposedly bull strong Chuvalo was outmuscled by Cleroux and even rag dolled to the mat (WITH ONE ARM) at one point."

The observations of an obviously addled mind. To be pitied more than scorned. Two of the three fights were split decisions. Which ones? The first and the last. Even the biased local Quebec judges had to give Chuvalo the second fight, it was such a lopsided win. My Dad saw the first one live and he was flabbergasted that two of the judges actually gave the decision to Cleroux, thought they must have got their cards mixed up.

As for Greb. Enough ink has been spent on him. He had his day. You want a good read buy CHUVALO by George Chuvalo himself and Murray Greig. Well worth the price. DD

Again, out of the two of us who has seen the Cleroux fights? You? No. Me? Yes. Cleroux doesnt get nearly enough credit. Chuvalo has the bigger name but Cleroux was a better fighter, just as durable, and stronger. And yes, he whipped Chuvalo. These morons that want to pretend every time Chuvalo lost it was a robbery are just that, moronic. The guy was as limited and one dimensional as it comes and he paid the price for it with his face and his win/loss ratio.

[evrenb]

It would have been interesting to see Cleroux take on Ellis in 1969/1970 if he would have got the decision againt Joiner. That would have been for the title. I think it would have been a fair match. . .

[evrenb]

The canadian press were pro chuvalo...he lost..thats the end of it..

[palooka]

There are some posters here that know an amazing amount about boxing and fighters and still find it difficult to conduct themselves without embaressing themselves - it is an eye opener :(

[evrenb]

There are some posters who bs all the time and need to be corrected...for history of boxing sake

[misterpunch]

that punch caught jerry on the top of his head and certainly dazed him - I reckon clayton got it right quarry just made a mistake with the count through being a little confused.
jerry was well ahead on my card and George just got lucky, which can always happen when you throw the kind of left hands that he did

[cnk12]

It's a good read and I think Chuvalo tries his best to stick with the truth, good or bad. He lost a few fights he should've won easily. As he likes to point out, he was more than just a guy who could take a good shot. I agree with him. He beat some very good fighters, and had an excellent KO percentage. Most interesting to me is his take on the Foreman fight. He claims Foreman didn't really have him in trouble, and had hit him with only one really good punch. When I watch it I see more than one, but Foreman was in fact missing with practically every punch at the point Chuvalo's corner was urging Mercante stop it. While I wouldn't call it a bad stoppage, I wonder if they let it go a little longer if Chuvalo would've been the one to expose Foreman's stamina problem. In any case, it's impressive that Chuvalo was back in the ring 11 days later, winning by TKO over club fighter Mike Bruce. The personal tragedies he's suffered are just awful. My opinion is it's a very good book, and he is a very good guy.

[scorpio83]

Il Duce, could you please tell me how good was Bob Cleroux before some people would ask us why putting this information out and thinking we were trolling or something. Don't you wish that people understand that how good their favorite fighters were.

Anyways, could you please tell me how good was Bob Cleroux in his prime like I said before? His strengths and weaknesses like you posted on Matthew Saad Muhammad.