Two hundred-forty chairs were not enough for the droves that turned out to see George Chuvalo at the Kinsuo Ag hall last Thursday. He called the children up close and they sat with rapt attention as he recounted his tragic story of drug abuse and death.
For those of you who may not know, for 21 years Chuvalo reigned as the Canadian Heavyweight Boxing Champion. He retired the undisputed champ and has been inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
Having fought some of the industry’s greatest figures, such as Joe Frazier and George Foreman, he went a full 15 rounds with then world champion Muhammad Ali. Of his 93 bouts, Chuvalo had 64 knockouts and is the only fighter to have never been knocked down or knocked out in 200 years of recorded history in boxing.
Dubbed as “Canada’s Toughest Man”, Chuvalo’s incredible strength was needed most not for the wars he fought in the ring, but for the tragedies that would beset his family. Mr. Chuvalo has lost three sons to heroin and a wife to suicide, unable to come to terms with her intense grief. The courage Chuvalo showed in the ring pales to the courage exemplified in his public speaking as he relates to students the desperate story of his three sons.
“When you’ve had two sons die from heroin overdose, the likelihood that you’ll have a third die from heroin overdose is never that far removed,” said Chuvalo. “I found him slumped over in a chair wearing only his underwear, a needle sticking out of his left arm and an unlit cigarette between the fingers of his right hand. He didn’t even have time to light the cigarette. It took him about seven seconds to die as the heroin coursed though his veins.”
That was how Steven Chuvalo died, in much the same manner as his brothers Georgie Lee and Jesse. Chuvalo said that Georgie Lee and Jesse once craved heroin so much, upon catching a glimpse of it in a dealer’s palm, they both immediately defecated in their pants. Only after preparing the heroine for injection and shooting up did they bother to clean themselves.
This kind of stark realism is at the core of Chuvalo’s message. His intention is not to scare listeners but to educate them to the depraved lifestyle that awaits drugs addicts.
“Education is the single most important determinant to helping you succeed in life,” he told a gathering at Kinuso Agricultural Complex comprised mainly of students from Kinuso, Swan River, and Driftpile. So important is education to Chuvalo that he said it again, trying to meet the eyes of those in attendance.
In 1998, George Chuvalo received the Order of Canada in recognition of his work and dedication to Canada’s youth. Lasting much longer than any boxing match, his fight for drug awareness has endured almost 10 years, and just like his fights, he doesn’t plan on quitting.

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