The People’s Champion

Why, look everyone! CBC is airing a George Chuvalo documentary!
How many is that now? 80?

“The People’s Champion.” Translation: “Got the crap beaten out of him for a lot of years, twice by someone very famous. The Canadian role model template does not require achievement. One need only stand up in stubborn contrast to successful Americans.”

Sadly, it seems no one told Chuvalo that boxing is a sport. George – it’s ok to fall down when you’re rendered unconscious by blows to the head. You can even fall down before that. The world will go on. That guy in the blue trunks is not going to move past your bloody corpse to destroy the Peace Tower should you fail. He’s going to get a stinking belt and go back to the dressing room for interviews.
Take a look around at other sports – tennis, for example. Tennis is a sport, too. Beginning, end, referees, points, winners, losers. Some tennis players feel quite passionately about winning their matches. Tennis players hate losing as much as boxers do, I’ll wager. But damn it, George – they don’t impale themselves on the opponants racket in a pathetic attempt to pretend they’re somehow better at losing than the other guy is at winning. And if they did, what do you suppose it would gain them? (Well, maybe the interviews.)
I cannot help but wish that Chuvalo had been knocked out by some potbellied trainer before he ever set foot in a pro ring – hung up his gloves at the age of 15, gone to trade school, remained in blissful anonymity, got a real job. Saved his family.
But in Canada we pervert extraordinary failure into miserable virtue – and thus, George Chuvalo is a beacon of inspiration, a flag bearer for serial losers. He fought Ali and lost. He battled the evils of drug abuse and depression and lost – three sons and his wife.
Now, he’s a sad old man doing high school drug lecture tours, looking battered. And lost.
Perennial documentary fodder.
George, I don’t mean to be cruel. But this has to stop. Tell the vultures who keep propping you up in front of the camera and microphones to get the hell out of your life. I think you probably still know how to throw a punch.
Win one for yourself.