George Chuvalo vs. Oscar Bonavena
George Chuvalo 215 lbs lost to Oscar Bonavena 203 lbs by MD in round 10 of 10
- Date: 1966-06-23
- Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA
- Referee: Arthur Mercante 4-4
- Judge: Tony Castellano 4-5
- Judge: Tony Rossi 3-7
Pre-fight comment
- "I've heard about this guy, Bonavena. A friend of mine has seen a lot of his fights in South America and says the guy will try anything he can get away with. If he does, I'll retaliate." -George Chuvalo
"Oscar Bonavena, 203, used his left hook like a buzzsaw to chop down George Chuvalo, 215, for a majority 10 round decision at MSG Thursday night. Although there were no knockdowns in the fight, Bonavena, a 9-5 underdog, staggered Chuvalo in the 2nd and 4th rounds and even claimed to have inflicted the first knockdown of the Canadian's career in the 4th. Bonavena drove Chuvalo back on his haunches in the 4th with a series of rights to the head and were it not for the ropes which checked his backward lurch, Chuvalo might have hit the canvas." -United Press International
Many ringside observers felt Chuvalo had done enough to get the decision, forcing the action in most rounds and hurting the Argentine several times with slashing hooks to the body and head. More than once Bonavena took blows that almost had his knee touch canvas.
- Unofficial UPI scorecard - 7-2-1 Bonavena
- Unofficial AP scorecard - 4-4-2 Draw
- Unofficial ringside poll of sportswriters had 5 for Bonavena, 4 for Chuvalo and 3 had it even
Post fight comments
- "I thought I won it 6-4. He's a mauler, hard to fight, tough and heavy-handed. I'd love a return bout." -George Chuvalo
- "I did knock him down even though they didn't count it." -Oscar Bonavena