Maple Leaf Gardens – World Heavyweight Championship
When the United States decided to enter the Vietnam War in 1965, public opinion was mixed. Muhammad Ali, the reigning world heavyweight champion, publicly opposed the war on moral and religious grounds. His stand affected his career – sales for a scheduled fight against Jimmy Ellis in 1966 slowed to a trickle, several American cities declined to sanction the bout, and Ellis pulled out. Lucky for Toronto, organisers offered up Maple Leaf Gardens as a venue. George Chuvalo, a local fighter and five-time Canadian heavyweight champion stepped in as Ali’s foil. The 13,918 people in attendance saw 15 rounds of peak ali: a fast, fluid puncher and savvy self- promoter, fighting his way to a place in history. Only one year later, Ali was stripped of his heavyweight title and boxing licence after refusing induction into the U.S. Army.