Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction
Didn't Ali say that Chuvalo was the hardest hitter and one of the best opponents he faced? I recall reading that he had a lot of praise for him after the match (I don't believe Ali was able to knock him down and both matches went the distance).
Kind of OT, but my family is from the same Canton of Bosnia that Chuvalo's was from. Those matches against Ali are revered there, probably more so than in Canada. It's funny when "not losing badly" is considered a victory, but when facing Ali, it was the best anyone could have expected.
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Oh yeah, Chuvalo was a tough cookie for sure and punished anyone he fought but he didn't have a real chance against Ali but for sure Ali respected him. IIRC Chuvalo and a French Canadian (can't remember his name) were the top Canadian heavyweights of the time. Maybe the only greater Canadian boxers were Tommy Burns, Yvon Durrelle, Lennox Lewis and I guess Trevor Berbick.
Who's Yvon Durelle? This may have been the greatest fight I've ever seen. It was the World Light-heavy weight Championship against 44 year old Archie Moore another ring immortal, on CBC.