Boxing's Holy Grail: the World Title
Broadcast Date: Oct. 24, 1965
After 44 fights George Chuvalo is finally getting a shot at the World Title. In eight days, he'll climb into the ring at Maple Leaf Gardens to take on Ernie Terrell. If Chuvalo can beat Terrell he'll have the wealth and celebrity he's dreamed of since he first laced on a pair of gloves. In this CBC Television clip, This Hour Has Seven Days visits with Chuvalo as he trains for the most important fight of his career.Boxing's Holy Grail: the World Title
• Chuvalo went the distance (15 rounds) with Terrell but lost the match by unanimous decision. Most boxing reporters at the time disagreed. They considered Chuvalo the uncrowned champion after the fight, believing that Chuvalo out-fought Terrell.• Failing to win the title from Terrell remains the one thing Chuvalo regrets about his career. "I didn't knock him out, but I still beat him handily," Chuvalo told the fifth estate in a 1995 interview.
• Chuvalo was 28 years old and had a professional record of 33-9-2 going into the bout with Terrell. His purse for the fight was $25,000.
• The Chuvalo-Terrell fight marked the second time the World Heavyweight Title was defended in Toronto. The first was on Dec. 4, 1961 when Floyd Patterson knocked out Tom McNeeley in the fourth round. The only other World Heavyweight Title fight to take place in Toronto was on Mar. 29, 1966 when Muhammad Ali defended his strap against Chuvalo.
• Ernie Terrell was born April 4, 1939 and grew up in Chicago. He claimed the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) Heavyweight title on Mar. 5, 1965 after beating Eddie Machen. Terrell's most famous fight was on Feb. 6, 1967 against Muhammad Ali. During the fight, Ali kept shouting, "What's my name?" Ali was upset because Terrell insisted on calling him by his 'slave name', Cassius Clay, during the build-up to the fight. In 55 pro fights, Terrell incurred a record of 46 wins (21 by KO), nine losses and no draws.
Boxing's Holy Grail: the World Title
Medium: Television
Program: This Hour has Seven Days
Broadcast Date: Oct. 24, 1965
Guest(s): George Chuvalo
Host: Laurier LaPierre
Reporter: Patrick Watson
Duration: 3:39
Last updated:
Sept. 22, 2003
Television
6:16
A young George Chuvalo talks about his dreams of becoming the champ.
Boxing's Holy Grail: the World Title.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: Sept. 22, 2003.
[Page consulted on Feb. 13, 2012.]