Pubdate: Fri, 13 May 2005
Source: Chronicle-Journal, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005 The Chronicle-Journal
Contact:  http://www.chroniclejournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3155
Author: Carl Clutchey, The Chronicle-Journal
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/George+Chuvalo

CHUVALO'S MESSAGE PACKS A PUNCH

The first thing that strikes you about George Chuvalo is that even at
the ripe age of 67, the former Canadian heavyweight boxing champion
could still clean your clock.

The power-puncher turned grandfather works out regularly; he's alert
and built like a compact cement mixer.

And his wit is as sharp as a left jab.

"If you've got a neck like a stack of dimes, you probably shouldn't be
a fighter," he advised Thursday in Marathon.

When Chuvalo talks boxing, his body moves instinctively, as if
sidestepping a blow to the ribs.

But, as many people know, there were some blows he couldn't
duck.

At the invitation of Marathon's citizens policing committee, Chuvalo
was in the mill town to deliver his anti-drug message to two separate
audiences of high school students and adults.

The real-life story he's been telling to such groups for nearly a
decade -- how he lost three sons and his first wife to suicide and
drug overdoses -- hasn't lost its poignancy, based on the response in
Marathon High School's gymnasium.

Though it almost seems out of character to listen to one of the
toughest men in boxing talk about the need for love and family,
Chuvalo pulls it off.

"When I heard his name, I looked it up, and found out that he'd fought
all the greats," said 18-year-old Matthew Biggs.

"Boxing is something guys can relate to," Biggs said. "(Chuvalo's
story) is grim, but I don't think there's a better athlete to tell
it."

As the gym filled with students Thursday afternoon, Chuvalo paced at
the back waiting for the start of a 20-minute CBC documentary on his
career and life that precedes his one-man presentation.

"I don't expect the kids to know me," he said.

He said his story once convinced an Ottawa drug dealer to throw in the
towel.

After the video, Chuvalo's excruciating presentation, delivered in
precise cadences, begins.

The retired boxer, who 40 years ago went toe-to-toe with Muhammad Ali
for 15 rounds, doesn't mince words.

The students heard about how his boys robbed stores to support their
drug habits, how they soiled themselves at the sight of a fix. They
heard that one of his sons was found lifeless with a needle in his
arm: "Before he could even light a cigarette, he was dead."

Despite the depth of his family tragedy, Chuvalo appears able to
compartmentalize it and is accommodating when fans inevitably ask him
about boxing.

He is dismissive of today's heavyweights, saying they're bigger these
days but move with less agility and throw few punches.

"They're very ponderous, they don't take chances," he said. "If I was
a girl, I would think some of these guys would be a lousy date."

After the one-hour presentation, Chuvalo at first appeared exhausted,
but perked up for autograph-seekers.

"Not everyone's cut out to be a fighter," he explained. "Hitting the
bag, skipping rope, that's OK. But to go out there and get your head
bashed in, there's no point." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake