GEORGE CHUVALO KEEPS FIGHTING

Legendary Boxer Honoured For Work With Youth

"He was the toughest guy I ever fought - he took all my best shots."

So said Muhammed Ali after Canadian boxer George Chuvalo took him on a
full 15 rounds in 1966, refusing to get knocked out.

But the punches delivered by Ali were nothing compared to the shots
life has thrown at the former Canadian Heavyweight Champion, who was
being honoured for his work combating substance abuse in Canadian
youth at Etobicoke's Emerald Inn last week.

Indeed, substance abuse is a subject Chuvalo is all too familiar with.
In the early 1980s, his youngest son, Jesse, got hooked on heroin
after initially trying the drug to relieve the pain of a leg injury
suffered in a motorcycle accident.

In 1985, Jesse took his own life. At the time of his suicide, two of
Jesse's brothers, Georgie Lee and Steven, were also hooked on heroin
and robbing drugstores to support their habits.

After Jesse's death, Georgie Lee and Steven were convicted of robbing
Armour Chemists, now a Coffee Time, at Islington and Rexdale
Boulevard, and sentenced to seven and 10 years in jail respectively.
Shortly after his release in 1993, Georgie Lee died of a heroin
overdose in a run-down room at the Gladstone Hotel. Two days after
Georgie Lee's funeral, Chuvalo's first wife, Lynn, committed suicide.

Two years later, the CBC's Fifth Estate filmed a documentary about
Chuvalo's family, which featured an interview with Steven from jail.
After being approached by a charity, Chuvalo and Steven decided to go
on tour together, speaking to kids about the impact of drugs on their
lives. But, before the tour began, Steven overdosed on heroin and
died, nine days after being released from prison.

Once again, George Chuvalo refused to be knocked out.

He went on tour alone, re-opening and sharing wounds that had barely
had time to heal with middle and high school kids across Canada in the
hope that they, unlike his own sons, could be dissuaded from trying
drugs in the first place.

Ten years later, he's still speaking to them. His organization, George
Chuvalo's Fight Against Drugs, has developed into a full time
occupation that sees him deliver anywhere between 70 and 100 talks a
year to kids in high schools, middle schools, and juvenile detention
centres across Canada.

All of his talks begin with the showing of an edited version of the
1995 CBC documentary, which, according to Chuvalo, always elicits a
strong reaction from his audience.

"Steven looks hopeful, he looks committed, he looks like he's going to
beat heroin. He looks like he's going to make it; he's a nice looking
guy, he's well spoken. When they find out what happened to Steven,
they're shocked. They don't expect that," he said.

Chuvalo speaks to kids about the importance of education and its role
in building self-esteem, the importance of self-respect, the
importance of appreciating family, and the importance of recognizing
falsehoods about drug use in popular culture. He also speaks candidly
and graphically about the realities of drug abuse.

"If only my son Georgie Lee could have had a glimpse into the future
and seen himself over the toilet bowl, shaking like a leaf, tears,
perspiration, snot and vomit mingling on his chin, begging for drugs.
You won't want to do drugs after seeing that image in your own mind,
seeing how pathetic it is," Chuvalo said.

His message appears to be getting through loud and clear, and this is
what propels Chuavlo to keep speaking.

"It happens all the time. Kids handing over weed, pills. Kids tell me
they'll never do drugs or sell drugs again. If I didn't get that kind
of positive feedback, I wouldn't have the steam to keep going, to be
honest with you," he said.

In addition to sharing his story with kids at schools and detention
centres, Chuvalo has repeatedly opened his Etobicoke home to addicts
over the past 10 years.

"I can't count how many addicts I've had at my place," he
said.

His current wife, a former nurse, counsels addicts and their parents
over the phone and in person.

Chuvalo received the Order of Canada in 1998 and a star on Canada's
Walk of Fame in 2005, but his real source of pride is his two
remaining children, and five grandkids. His son Mitch, a teacher, was
awarded the CFL-NFL High School Coach of the Year Award in 2000, and
he was also awarded a Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Award for his work with
children.

But it is Mitch's children, Michaella, 3, Aaron, 1 1/2, and Elijah,
six months, and Steven's children, Rachel, 23, and Jesse, 18, who
really get the old heavyweight excited. He eagerly dug through his
wallet to show off pictures of his grandkids on Saturday night.
Delicately clutching a dog-eared photo of a newborn Aaron, he
expressed his wish for every kid he speaks to.

"I hope that if you every flirt with the idea of doing drugs, that you
will think of George Chuvalo and what drugs did to his family. My kids
screwed up so you don't have to."