TORONTO — George Chuvalo, the five-time Canadian heavyweight boxing champion who never hit the canvas in 93 professional fights and went the distance with Muhammad Ali twice, died Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026 — his 89th birthday. Sully’s Boxing Gym in Toronto and family friend Tom Doyle confirmed the death; Chuvalo’s son Mitch also confirmed it.

Chuvalo’s pro record stood at 73-18-2 with 64 knockouts. Across those 93 fights, he was never knocked down — an iron-chin résumé that made him, for many Canadians, the country’s defining ring warrior.

He fought Ali for the WBC heavyweight title at Maple Leaf Gardens on March 29, 1966, and again in Vancouver in 1972. Chuvalo lost both, but Ali later called him the toughest fighter he ever faced. Chuvalo also shared the ring with George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Floyd Patterson, Ernie Terrell, and Jerry Quarry — the last a notable knockout win in 1969.

“His photos have hung on our walls for decades. His stories have been passed down from one generation of fighters to the next,” Sully’s Boxing said in a statement announcing his death.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford paid tribute on social media: “George Chuvalo was a heavyweight boxing legend, a family friend and a Canadian icon. My thoughts are with all of George’s family and loved ones as we mourn his passing.”

Born George Louis Chuvalo on Sept. 12, 1937, in Toronto to Croatian immigrant parents, he turned pro in 1956 and won the Canadian heavyweight title five times before retiring in 1978. He was named a Member of the Order of Canada and inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and Canada’s Walk of Fame.

Outside the ring, tragedy defined much of his later public life. Three sons and his first wife, Lynne, died by overdose or suicide; Chuvalo spent years speaking in schools and communities against drugs. “I’d like to think if you’re ever tempted with the idea of doing drugs, or you ever flirt with doing drugs, I hope you think of me, George Chuvalo, and what drugs did to my family,” he said in a 1998 CBC Radio interview, according to the BBC.

In his final years he lived with dementia and was bedridden, according to reports from the Toronto Sun and The Globe and Mail. He is survived by son Mitch, daughter Vanessa, grandchildren, and his second wife, Joanne.

Dated Saturday into Sunday, Sept. 12–13, 2026: George Chuvalo — never knocked down, twice a foe of Ali, five-time Canadian heavyweight champion — died on his 89th birthday in Toronto.

Sources