Name/Title
Print, PhotographicEntry/Object ID
2007.24.140Description
Pat McMcMurtry exchanges some punches with an opponent during a pro fight in 1956. He had the whole package – strength, speed and smarts. McMurtry was the biggest sports star of the area during his time and was ranked as high as the fifth heavyweight in the world. In October 1958, McMurtry fought the Canadian heavyweight champion another rising star, a tough guy from Toronto named George Chuvalo. The fight was in New York and on national TV. McMurtry used Joe Louis' old dressing room. “My heart was pounding,” McMurtry said. Joe Louis was at ringside. So was Sugar Ray Robinson. McMurtry was staggered in the first round then recovered to bloody Chuvalo's nose and win a lopsided 10-round decision. Chuvalo would later lose to Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Floyd Patterson. McMurtry, who is considered to be the best fighter to come out of Tacoma, would turn down an offer to fight Patterson.Lexicon
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Boxing, Professional/Semi-ProRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
McMurtry, Pat