Search - The Last Round - Chuvalo vs. Ali on DVD

A great piece of pugilist history

Ken J. Dietz | Chicago | 07/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This story is basically told through George Chuvalo, Canada's greatest heavyweight ever. This is a story of a real "Rocky Balboa" and the riviting documentry takes us from George's humble beginnings in Toronto right up to his shot at the heavyweight title in his unforgettable battle with Muhammad Ali. This film has some of the best fight footage I've ever seen that takes you into the ring and behind the scenes and in the locker rooms.
Great commentary not only from Chuvalo but from Ali's trainer Angelo Dundee, writers Jimmy Breslin, Burt Sugar and others connected to the fight scene here in it's last glory days of the 1960's."

Great Portrait of a Decent Guy

Robert Franklin | Belmont, MA USA | 05/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"George Chuvalo was always just a shade below the best heavyweights of his day, and that was a day with some great fighters. If you watch an unedited tape of his bout with Ali you will see that it was a much closer fight then many now believe. He punished Ali severely to the body. Also, he took the fight on short notice.
George later met with trajedy in his life when he lost a son and daughter to drugs and his wife to suicide. He now has a foundation that helps drug dependent people.
Chuvalo is not an old punch drunk pug. He is lucid and intellegent, a testament to the fact that he won the majority of his fights and didn't take many beatings.
In a dvd boxing market that is oversaturated with Ali videos (why no Ali Frazier I, where Ali lost), it is good to see a decent man and good fighter get the recognition he deserves."

A Hard Days Night

Mr. Richard D. Coreno | Berea, Ohio USA | 02/04/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In 27 rounds spanning two fights, Canadian heavyweight George Chuvalo was never intimidated by Muhammad Ali. And it just may have been a case of an overmatched contender who had a world champion's heart and enough tricks in his unorthodox style to be on his feet when the final bells rung.

Director Joseph Blasioli chronicles the March 29, 1966, Ali title defense in Toronto, Canada, where - at the height of his ring prowess - he captured a 15-round unanimous decision over the game Chuvalo.

Released in 2004, the documentary uses archival footage, clips from previous fights and interviews with Ali's trainer Angelo Dundee, boxing historian Bert Randolph Sugar and abrassive columnist Jimmy Breslin to describe a match that is forgotten amongst the historic fights that defined Ali as one of the greatest champions ever.

In a rematch on May 1, 1972, in Vancouver, Chuvalo again demonstrated his veteran ring savvy in losing another decision to Ali, this time in 12 rounds.

Chuvalo was good enough to dream in this oftentimes brutal sport that he was one well-placed combination away from capturing the heavyweight title. In The Last Round, Chuvalo shows that a champion may not always be the fighter who leaves the ring with the victory for the record book."