On March 29th, 1966 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto boxer George Chuvalo went toe to toe with one of the greatest fighters of all time, Muhammad Ali, known then as Cassius Clay. Chuvalo was a little known working class boxer who was labelled by the media as a punching bag for the World Heavyweight champion Ali and he absorbed a flurry of punishing blows during the match. But Chuvalo would take Clay to fifteen rounds and sensing he had a shot to win he landed four or five punishing punches in that last round putting Cassius Clay on the ropes for the first time. The crowd rose to their feet cheering on the hometown hero but in the end it would be Clay that won by a unanimous decision. The historic fight proved to the world that George Chuvalo was one of the toughest boxers of all time.
Former Globe and Mail staff photographer Boris Spremo was there to capture the historic event.
Chuvalo after the fight with his six-year-old son Michael. (Photos by Boris Spremo/The Globe and Mail)