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A date with destiny and Muhammad Ali

Broadcast Date: March 29, 1966

Months after his heartbreaking loss to Ernie Terrell, Chuvalo has another shot at the World Title. This time Chuvalo will go toe-to-toe with Muhammad Ali in Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens. In this CBC Television clip, Newsmagazine visits the training camps of both fighters as they prepare for their title bout. Says Chuvalo: "I've been in the fight game now for ten years…[so] this is the big one for me. It's more or less now or never."

Ali is in the best shape of his life, a fact not lost on the hordes of fans and reporters who watch his training session at a Toronto gym. After a light workout of shadow boxing and hitting the speed-bag, Ali puts on a routine for the fans. Ali is pure show business as he assembles all the sports writers in the ring and hams it up with them in an informal skit, asking them "Who's the champ of Canada? Me or Chuvalo?"

The training session over and the crowd of fans long gone, the champ is asked about his impressions of Canada. In stunning contrast to the showman who just finished entertaining the fans, a soft-spoken Ali reflects: "The people here in Canada are nice…I've never been treated so nice in my life…Everybody is as nice as they can be and this is a lot different from where I come from."

A date with destiny and Muhammad Ali

• Strange circumstances led to Chuvalo receiving his shot at Ali's World Title. Ali was originally scheduled to fight Ernie Terrell in Chicago but the state athletic commission refused to sanction the fight due to Ali's refusal to fight in Vietnam. Promoter Bob Arum tried to stage the fight elsewhere in the U.S. but every other state commission followed suit. Frustrated, he began looking for venues outside the country. He thought his problems were solved when he put together a deal to hold the fight in Montreal.

• However, Mayor Jean Drapeau backed out after the American Legion threatened to boycott Expo '67 in Montreal. It was only after Harold Ballard, owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Maple Leaf Gardens, stepped forward that Toronto was selected to host the bout. Chuvalo came into the picture three weeks before the fight when Terrell backed out. At the time, Chuvalo was in town training for another fight, and took the date with Ali on 17 days notice.

• Born Jan. 17, 1942 in Louisville, KY, Cassius Clay made his pro boxing debut in 1960 shortly after winning the gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the Olympics in Rome. He won the World Title for the first time on Feb. 25, 1964, scoring a TKO over Sonny Liston in the seventh round. After the fight he adopted the name Cassius X (to reflect his association with the Nation of Islam) and the following month he changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

• Many within the sport took a dim view of Ali's mixing of boxing and politics, and felt he didn't act as a proper champion. In this CBC television clip Irv Ungerman, Chuvalo's manager, said: "I don't think [Ali] is a worthy champion [and] the people's champion, and I believe George would make a fine champion."

• Ali's last fight as champion came on March 22, 1967 when he knocked out Zora Folley in New York. For the next three years, Ali was inactive as he battled state athletic commissions and the courts over his refusal to be inducted into the Army. After several states revoked his boxing license and a U.S. District Court found him guilty of violating the Universal Military Training and Service Act, Ali officially retired on Feb. 1, 1970 and vacated the title.

• Although Chuvalo was never knocked out during his career, he did suffer a technical knockout at the hands of George Foreman. On August 3, 1970, a referee stepped in and called the fight at 1:41 of the third round on behalf of Foreman. A TKO is when a ref stops the bout because he feels the boxer can't continue.

• Ali came out of retirement in late 1970 and captured the Heavyweight title for a second time, defeating George Foreman on Oct. 30, 1974 in Zaire. Ali lost the title to Leon Spinks on Feb. 15, 1978, but regained it seven months later. On Sept. 6, 1979 Ali announced his retirement, but made an ill-fated comeback in 1980, losing to then-World champion Larry Holmes. In total, Ali had 61 pro fights during his career, with 56 wins (37 by KO) and five losses.

A date with destiny and Muhammad Ali

Medium: Television

Program: Newsmagazine

Broadcast Date: March 29, 1966

Guest(s): George Chuvalo, Irv Ungerman

Reporter: Bob Evans

Duration: 24:58

Last updated:
Sept. 22, 2003