NABF heavyweight champion Former undisputed heavyweight champion
Canadian heavyweight champion
Result
Ali defeated Chuvalo via 12th round UD
Muhammad Ali vs. George Chuvalo II was a professional boxing match contested on 1 May 1972, for the NABF heavyweight championship.[1]
Background
In the build up Ali predicted he would drop Chuvalo, who had never been knocked down in his career saying that "I'm not gonna let it be said there was ever a heavyweight that didn't fall. They have pictures showing my heels. Jack Johnson fell, Jack Dempsey fell, Sugar Ray Robinson fell, Joe Frazier fell, and George Chuvalo is gonna fall." Chuvalo meanwhile claimed he had improved since his first bout with Ali six years earlier, saying "I'm a better fighter than I was in 1966 and he's not as good a fighter as he was then."
The fight
Despite dominating and landing many flush shot on Chuvalo, Ali was unable to drop the Canadian who was able to last the full 12 round duration.[2]
Ali would praise Chuvalo's durability saying that "I thought I could drop him, but I couldn't. He took all my best shots and he hurt me with a couple of hard rights and a hook." While Chuvalo would admit that Ali was in better shape than he had expected.
