George Chuvalo would make an amazing guest too. Out of all the HWs from the golden era, he is honestly the only one I can think of still living who is not even remotely punch drunk
He fought them ALL - Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Williams, Patterson, and more. I've seen him n tons of documentaries as recent as 2 years ago and he is perfectly articulate, hilarious and best of all - has a GREAT memory of boxing's best days.
Joe is a huge boxing fan like us, and I know he'd really be able to pick Chuvalo's brain. He has the knowledge of boxing history and man what a listen that would be! I think I'll send some Tweets out in hopes he sees them. Why not? Can't hurt
I fucking love that you posted this. George Chuvalo has been woven in and out of my life so much it is silly. When I was kid we used to live around the corner from him in the Rexdale part of Toronto and my older sister used to hang out with his son Jesse, the first son to die (of suicide) at 22 years old. I recall as a 6 year old watching George Jr. get into a fight with a man outside the store in our apartment building and he stabbed the man in the hand. The entire incident scared the shit out of me as I was there with my best friend and his older brother who also hung out with Jesse Chuvalo.
A few years later, after we moved away following my Dad's arrest resulting in a seven year sentence which landed him in prison up in Kingston, Ont., My father won the 'Athlete of the Day' award during the prison's annual sports day for the inmates and none other than George Chuvalo was brought in as a guest to present the trophy to my old boy, lol!
Several years later when I was 19 years-old I took my girlfriend to a black tie dinner at the Royal York in Toronto to help bring attention towards getting George inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, which inexplicably kept passing him over, and that night I got pics with him, Floyd Patterson, Yvonne Durrelle, Ruben Hurricane Carter......and I got Muhammad Ali to sign my Boxing Encyclopedia that I brought with me but I couldn't get in for a photo with him as he was smothered by entourage (sad face).
A couple weeks later I had a bit of a drunk on while returning home from a party in Georgetown when I stopped in a store for some munchies. While chatting with the fellow I knew who was working there a car pulls up and flashes lights at me, I laughed and said "tell me that doesn't look like a couple of cops?" It turns out it was and they came in and asked me for my ID, which I willingly provided forgetting I had a stupid warrant for drinking underage a year earlier. They put me in the back of the car and while writing me up I said to the one cop, "Man, you look a lot like George Chuvalo," and laughed at the ridiculousness of it, as I knew I had CHuvalo on my brain still from the dinner a couple weeks prior.
He says, "Ya, that's my Dad."
"What, you're fucking with me. What's your name?" I asked, as I knew all the Chuvalo boys names.
He turned and showed me his name tag 'Mitch'.
"Get the fuck out of here," I said, thinking I was in luck. I proceeded to tell him how I had just taken my girl down to the big dinner in support of his father, paid good money to be there, got my pic with his father and met Muhammad Ali, blah, blah, blah...........
..........and the fucker turned to me and said, "Ya, that's nice. I never liked my Dad!" He finished writing me up and threw me in the drunk tank for the night, lol! Was I ever pissed off. I understand Mitch and George are pretty tight now, but fuck Mitch anyways!
Anyhow, George's story is one of the most amazing and tragic stories in all of sports. He would be an amazing guest to have on the Joe Rogan podcast. Great call Galanis!
If I can ever dig up those old pics from the dinner I will post them, despite my late 80's mullet. Man, do I wish I could have a do over night there!