George Chuvalo - Local boxing champ

I've heard several times that former Canadian heavyweight champion boxer George Chuvalo used to live in this neighbourhood, though I'm not sure exactly where. The Wikipedia article about him says, "Chuvalo grew up in The Junction district of west Toronto".

Anyway, something that caught my attention is that the Toronto Star's Photo Blog had a story about Chuvalo's interest in photography. His "King of good times" photo is fantastic, and heartbreaking.

His own life story is heartbreaking too.

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Old Lansdowne location

I was in Toronto looking for the old Lansdowne location from the 80s. I found sully's gym, on dupont, but that's a new location, correct? Does anyone know the address of the old location and is the building still there?

1971 Beaches Boxing Club.

Mr.Kenny Cleveland gave me my nick name Tiger after blooding up my friends nose I was 7 years old Nicky Furlano, Bobby Defoe , Killer S , ,two girls that were twins , Mr. Dress Up did a play for up kids in the ring ! So many special moments sitting on Clyde Greys lap at the fights on tv live on Queen street , sparring Eddie Melo years later News Boys , Then Lansdowne sees Mr. Chuvalo come in hitting the Heavybeg with grey duck tape around the middle of the beg !!!

Kenny cleveland

Hi Paul,
I'm doing a story on Kenny cleveland's son and am in search of someone who could tell me what Kenny was like to train for.
Could you please email me and I can give you more information?
Thanks so much!

My email is

REMEMBERING GEORGE .

GEORGE , MY NAME IS GEORGE RICHARD WALLIN , I TRAINED @ LANDSDOWNE FROM 1966 TO 1972 . BETWEEN YOU & CLYDE . BORN IN 1954 . JERRY BATES , BEV CARTER & TEDDY ALL TRAINED ME . I LOVED THOSE DAYS . I MOVED TO ALBERTA IN 1978 . NEXT TIME YOUR IN ALBERTA I WOULD LOVE TO SIT DOWN & REMINISE . YOU SIGNED A PICTURE OF YOURSELF , THIS PICTURE WAS MENT FOR ME , GG . WAS MY PARTNER GERALD GERRISH YOU MIGHT REMEMBER ME. I HAD ONE FIGHT @ CITY TV SPARED W/ BOBBY , JOE HENRY , CLYDE GRAY , CICLE KING , I WON TWO OF THE ALBERTA SO YOU THINK YOUR TOUGH FIGHTS IN SECONDS BECAUSE OF THIS HISTORY , MY NUMBER IS IN THE RED DEER DIRECTORY . PLEASE CALL & WE`LL HOOK UP , SEND A E-MAIL & GET IN TOUCH. YOUR FRIEND PUNCHY RICK .

Lansdowne boxing gym

i was taught,how to box and trained their early seventies never fought but what an inspiration standing alongside George ,Clyde and Stewart grey pretty boy felstein the fellow who trained me was very well known canadian boxer Gus rubicon I great man as they all were.bertie and the boys.great memories

I knew the "Pretty Boy"

I knew the "Pretty Boy" Felstein at Toronto Athletic Club in the late 60s. In 1969 I went to Lansdowne and I don't think he was there. Chuvalo was, trained then by Max Kadin. The amateur star at that time was Bob Bozic. I had to spar with him and it was terrifying. I liked Felstein a lot. Does anyone know what happened to him?

Pretty Boy Felstein

If you looking for information on Bob Pretty Boy Felstein please send me an e-mail. I am his son and would be happy to answer question.

e-mail

Robert lives in my home in

Robert lives in my home in milton on

George Chuvalo new book

I gave my father a Christmas present that I knew he would like and he loved it. It is George Chuvalo's new book. My dad can really relate to this book as he is from the Junction, I live here now, and he is familiar with a lot of places and names in the book. He said it is hard for him to put the book down. The first thing he asked me when he opened it this Christmas, was, is it signed? I just bought it at Indigo, there was no book signing. Would it be possible for my father to get the book signed by George Chuvalo. That would mean a lot to my dad. Does anyone know if he will be doing any book signings in the future. Please let me know. My dad lives in Brampton ON. My dad said the book was the best gift I could have gotten him. AAAAAWWWW.

I grew up literally in The

I grew up literally in The Lansdowne. My old man was best friends with Berti from the age of around seven. Anyone who frequented the gym back in them days will figure out who he was. Berti, Joe and Johnny Dee, Teddy,Joey Bagnato,Patsy Fern, Jerry Bates the list goes on for miles you're all dearly missed. That gym holds a place in my heart that brings so many great memories that will always be treasured. P.S, god bless you Davey Scani, you were my heart and soul, the one who steered me away from trouble and made me the man I am today, you were my father.

great memories

Good day. I am hoping to connect with anyone that was part of the elite boxing members of Beaches Boxing Club, owner was Joey Bagnato, Frank Pucci back about 1971, 72. Jerry Bates was my trainer. Clyde Grey was also a frequent visitor to the gym. We had George Foreman train at the gym for his Foreman versus six event at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Just looking to see who is out there. Thanks.

Beaches boxing club

Great to hear from someone back in the day from the club. I fought out of beaches club during that era. My manager was Ken Cleveland. I used to train with bobby dynamite Defoe, the dobbins brothers...ect ect. I actually fought at maple leaf gardens on a pre card before a clyde grey fight. We were on a wind mill team fighting against oshawa. We won....
If you know anyone from back in the day let me know. I used to be on city tv fight night every Friday..

Hi, I use to go to the

Hi, I use to go to the Beaches Boxing Club with my dad, to watch my brothers Steve and John Hanti fight, you might remember them, if you know Bobby Dafoe. I loved watching boxing, and wished that I could of boxed too back in the day.

Anna Hanti

Hey my name is Bill. I was

Hey my name is Bill. I was 11 years old when i went to the beaches boxing club. That would have been 1975. The first person i met Travis there was jerry Bates who became my trainer. Will always remember jerry. White shirt, black tie and black dress pants. He was such a great tranier. Started sparing with a kid named Kenny shaw and another kid named john Robinson.

Eventually the gym died down so I ended up at queen city boxing club. thats were i met guys like nicky furlano, eddie melo, tray Travis kenny Cleveland and Clyde gray. I started sparing there with a kid named Robert Cumberland who was a slick boxer . i also met mark leduc there. Actually it was mark who gave
Me my first pair of boxing trunks. Lots of good fights in those days. Joey melo would always fight killer saunders. Had a few good bouts thete myself.

After a couple years there i ended up at landsdown boxibg club. I met leo marsh and use to spare with his brother metric. Some long ago memories ill tell ya

Kenny cleveland

Hi Billl,
I'm doing a story on Kenny cleveland's son and am in search of someone who could tell me what Kenny was like to train for.
Could you please email me and I can give you more information?
Thanks so much!
Lauren@coywolffilms.com

Lansdowne boxing club

i trained and fought in Lansdowne for many years. It was a great place. George and Clyde Gray would be training there along side of me and it was inspirational. I miss that gym...the way it was when Birdie ran it in the 70's.

Lansdowne

I use to train there back in the early 70's,,, George was there alot and i believe still training.
I very close friend of mine was one of his sparring partners back then. Joe D.
Also there all the time was Spider and Red... I grew up there and very proud of the being part of that club and Beaches Boxing Club Back in the old City TV fight Night Days, Channel 79,,,lol

Pep

Would there be a possibility

Would there be a possibility of erecting some kind of statue in George's honor in the area? One thing Toronto doesn't do well is erect spaces to honor our citizens...this would be great!

A local hero Statue for Chuvalo - What a great idea!

What a phenomenal idea - to have a statue of Chuvalo put up in the JT! But where - Dupont and Symington - at Bloor? I'm thinking of something similar as to the one in Kensington Market of the King of Kensignton. How inspirational - and there have got to be local artists that would love to be a part of something so specific to positive community development. I have not sculpting talent? Who does - who would be interested in something like this? Would any local businesses be interested in supporting something like this? Would anyone be against this for any reason?

A local hero Statue for Chuvalo

That would be a great idea as he is from the neighbourhood he lived on Franklin ave as a kid and his mother worked for Royce DuPont Poultry Packers right there on the north east corner of Symington ave and DuPont ave once called Royce ave when he lived in the area he went to school at st Cecilia's my late aunt used to babysit him

I'd love to see a statue

What a great addition to the neighbourhood that would be - let's make it happen!

Ideally the statue should be

Ideally the statue should be in and around Dupont/Symington if all indications were that he worked at Royce-Dupont chicken...currently it is an empty lot which for years has been left abandoned...(southwest corner)...wouldn't it be nice if all forces came together to potentially place a nice little square complete with statue there...if anyone has contacts please join in...we would need a local artist, councillors, businesses and George himself

It isn't a statue but someone

It isn't a statue but someone I know did do a portrait of him on the sound-barrier graffiti wall in liberty village recently

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1241914--canada-s-largest-graffi...

I remember when I was a kid I

I remember when I was a kid I went to the Lansdowne Boxing club a number of times, I remember being alowed to use the medicne ball,skipping rope and I will always remember the trainer Teddy. Man what great memories.

Lansdowne boxing club.........

ciao,
my name's antonio and wrtite you from italy. I'm searching some pics new and old about Lansdowne boxing gym.
Can you help me?
Thanks a lot
antonio

george

George was married to my cousin, Lynn. I've known George my whole life, but have not seen him much since Lynn died. My early memories are from visiting the family home on Gillespie (s of Old Weston Rd, n of Davenport), If he lived on Laughton it was long before I was born.
I bumped into George last November, 2 months after my mom passed and he really liked her and always called her by her middle name - Martha.

lansdowne boxing club

he trained at the lansdowne boxing club across from the strip club on bloor,

his son teaches or used to teach at western tech i think?

George Chuvalo didn't quite

George Chuvalo didn't quite live in the area he lived on a small street call Laughton Ave. just before Davenport Rd. My family before they moved to were I now live also lived on Laughton. George and my youngest brother went to Humberside they were classmates. He was always at my house and we watched his career over the years and his heart breaks. My parents new his parents well.

He worked at Royce-Dupont Poultry Packers and Irv Ungerman was his promoter not manager. Not to sure who managed him then. He has remarried to a wanderful women and his wife now manages his business. He now does a lot a public speaking at schools were he hopes to make a difference in a young person's life were drugs are concerned. When his wife and George are together you can see he is totaly devoted to her and she is the same towards him. They now live in Etobicoke and have been married over 10 years now.

My son who owns his own media business has worked with George. When George realized who my son was, he was over the moon and wanted to know everything about my family and how they were doing. My son has often talked of George talking about the old times that he has with my brothers and at my house. I hope that helps clarify some of the missing links.

On one occation, I was on a date with a guy I realy didn't want to be with. My brother and George were talking on the phone that night My brother mentioned to George that I was out on a date with someone my brother didn't like and he was concerned for my safety so they desided to come to the restaurant were we were having dinner. George and my brother went up to our table in a intimidating way and asked if my date was treating me OK. I said we were fine and George said they would be sitting at one of the tables if I should need them. My date asked who that person was and I told him he was my bodygaurd. That was my first and thank God my last date with that guy.

I hope that answeres your question for now.

i met George at my highschool

i met George at my highschool (over 10 years ago) in Bancroft, his story was painful and very "in your face" to a bunch of a teenagers, good job George!

george

Truth is george chuvalo's first job WAS at Royce-Dupont Chicken when he about 15 I think.

Chuvalo Triangle

George's manager was Irv Ungerman who owned Royce Dupont Chicken. Locals have told me that he worked for Irv at Dupont and Symington.

I have suggested before that a great name for our area would be Chuvalo. Serious. If you are going to name yourselves after something name it after something that even Ali couldn't knock down.