Venue: Maple Leaf Gardens,
Toronto, Canada, 29th March, 1966.
On 17th February of 1966 Muhammad
Ali mad his famous comments 'I aint got no quarrel with them
Vietcong.' This statement came at a time when there was little
opposition to the war in Vietnam.
Muhammad Ali was banned from
fighting in Chicago and Louisville after his comments and
it soon became apparent that Ali would have to fight outside
of America. Muhammad Ali was due to meet Ernie Terrell and
Toronto accepted an offer to host the bout, but Terrell pulled
out due to contractual problems. George Chuvalo a tough Canadian
stepped in. Ali had considered Chuvalo as an opponent before,
but Chuvalo's fame has faded after being defeated by Terrell.
Chuvalo had lost twelve times but boasted that he had never
been knocked out.
Chuvalo's corner devised a strategy
based on sapping Ali's incredible speed. A concerted body
attack, they reasoned, would take away his mobility in the
later rounds. overhearing their plan, Ali deliberately exposed
his torso to Chuvalo's punches, effectively giving the challenger
ten free shots while taunting him to hit harder!
Muhammad Ali was exceptionally
strong and Chuvalo made little headway. Although, Ali later
claimed that Chuvalo was tougher than both Liston and Patterson.
In truth, the fight was one-sided, except for a brief rally
from Chuvalo in the closing stages. The judges gave the challenger
just one round out of fifteen and even his close family would
of had problems recognizing him such was the damage to his
face caused by Ali's punches.
