Jan. 25, 1965 - In an unprecedented burst of energy, George Chuvalo (left) went 12 fast rounds today to reach the peak of his training for Monday night’s 12-round heavyweight bout with Floyd Patterson at Madison Square Garden.
Former champ Joe Louis, among the flabbergasted witnesses to the marathon drill at Kutsher’s in Monticello, N.Y., raved about Chuvalo’s condition.
“I never boxed more than six rounds in any one day when I was training,” said Louis. “He’s in powerful shape.”
Joe reiterated his choice of Chuvalo by KO and added: “It’s a very simple fight. He must make Patterson trade punches with him. He cannot box him, and Patterson cannot punch with him.”
“I have received reports from the Patterson camp,” said Irving Ungerman, Chuvalo’s manager, “that Floyd is training for this fight by studying films of the Liston-Clay fight. I guess he will fight the way Clay did. He must finally realize, after his two quick knockouts by Liston, that he can’t swap with a puncher.”
Chuvalo is a puncher. He punished his sparring mates around the belly considerably today.
“That,” said Louis, “is the way to fight Patterson. He carried his arms high around his head, and his body is wide open.”
Barney Ross joined Louis on the bandwagon of underdog Chuvalo.
“The only thing they got to worry about,” said the one-time welterweight champion, “is that he doesn’t get stale. He is a very powerful boy, and I think he can take Patterson out in five. If it takes longer, he sure looks like he can go longer.”
Patterson interrupted training today to move his family to a new $75,000 home at Great Neck Estates.
The community turned out to welcome Floyd, his wife Sandra, and their four children. Various merchants sent gifts for the family. The ex-champ and his family sold their former home at Scarsdale because of several racial incidents there.

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