Muhammad Ali vs. George Chuvalo

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Challenger rankings
Org. Pos. As of Published
1+ Mth. Old
WBA 6 31.12.1965 02.01.1966
Ring 3 ~30.11.1965 by 05.12.1965
2+ Mth. Old
WBA 6 31.12.1965 02.01.1966
Ring 3 ~30.11.1965 by 05.12.1965
3+ Mth. Old
WBA 6 30.11.1965 03.12.1965
Ring 3 ~30.11.1965 by 05.12.1965

Muhammad Ali 215 lbs beat George Chuvalo 216 lbs by UD in round 15 of 15

Notes

Sports Illustrated Cover

Timeline

  • Chuvalo was previously considered as Ali's next opponent in case Ali's unification bout against WBA heavyweight titlist Ernie Terrell wouldn't materialize;[1] however, those talks died down after Chuvalo suffered an upset loss against Eduardo Corletti on January 25.
  • On February 4, Ali and Terrell signed to fight in Chicago, Illinois, on March 29, 1966.[2]
  • Chuvalo was reportedly offered a spot on the Ali-Terrell card against Amos Lincoln, though he showed more interest to fight then-British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper in mid-April or Doug Jones.[3][4]
  • About six weeks before the fight, Ali's draft classification was changed from 1-Y to 1-A, making him eligible for the draft. Ali, facing the possibility of being drafted into the United States Army during the Vietnam War, created a huge uproar by famously saying, "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong." He was called before the Illinois State Athletic Commission to apologize for his "unpatriotic remarks." Ali appeared before the commission on February 25, but he refused to apologize. Immediately afterward, Illinois State Attorney General William G. Clark declared the bout "illegal." He cited violations of the Illinois Exhibition Act and the Illinois Boxing Act. [5]
  • "I ran around the country without any luck looking for a state where we could have the fight," said Bob Arum, who was secretary of Main Bout, a corporation formed to manage the ancillary promotional rights to Ali's fights. "Finally, I took it to Montreal and then it was Toronto and then Terrell pulled out and we wound up with Ali-Chuvalo." It was the first fight Arum ever promoted. [6]
  • Contracts were signed on March 11.[7][8]
  • Chuvalo took the fight on 18 days' notice.

Ranking Movements

  • Chuvalo ranked No. 3 heavyweight contender by The Ring in its February 1966 issue released on December 5, 1965, and No. 6 contender by the WBA in the November rankings released December 3 and December rankings released January 2, 1966.
  • On January 25, Chuvalo suffered an upset loss to Eduardo Corletti, who was not ranked by WBA nor The Ring.
  • In its next monthly rankings released February 28-29 in the April issue (March issue only contained yearly rankings), Chuvalo remained in the top 10, though was dropped to No. 8; Corletti remained out of top 10.
  • In the WBA's February rankings released March 3, Chuvalo was dropped to No. 10, while Corletti was placed at No. 9.

Build Up

  • Ali was ringside when Chuvalo defeated Mike DeJohn by 10-round majority decision in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 27, 1963. In the second round, DeJohn went through the ropes as Chuvalo continued to hammer him with both hands. Ali thought Chuvalo's attack resembled a woman watching clothes on a scrub board and gave him the nickname "The Washerwoman." [9]

The Fight

  • On a round basis, the Associated Press scored the fight 13-2. The AP gave Chuvalo rounds two and four. [10]
  • 13,540 fans attended the fight. "The gate for the fight was $120,000," Arum said. "We got $40,000 more for closed-circuit revenues, and $20,000 for foreign rights. Of that $180,000 take, Ali got $90,000, Chuvalo got $35,000 to $40,000. Out of what was left, I paid expenses and my credit card. There was no profit." [11]
  • "He's the toughest guy I ever fought," Ali said of Chuvalo after the bout.


Preceded by:
Ali vs. Patterson I 		WBC Heavyweight Title Fight
# 5 		Succeeded by:
Ali vs. Cooper II


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