|
|
| |
| George Chuvalo was and most likely
always will be Canada's greatest boxer. George made boxing history by
never being knocked down in ninety-three professional fights
between 1956 and 1979. He
was the reigning Canadian Heavyweight Boxing Champion for 21 years, from
1958 until 1979, and ranked in the top ten of the World Boxing for much
of his career.George became Canadian amateur heavyweight champion in May 1955, defeating
Peter Piper with a first-round KO. George finished his amateur
career with a 16-0-0 record, all by KO within four rounds and soon
acquitted the nickname "Boom Boom." George turned pro in 1956, knocking
out four opponents in one night to win a heavyweight tournament held by
former world's champion Jack Dempsey.
Some of his most memorable professional
fights were with Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier George
Foreman, and Jerry Quarry.
George fought six world
heavyweight champions, and failed in two attempts to capture the World
Heavyweight Title, He was inducted into the
Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1990 and the World Boxing Hall of Fame
in 1997.
Unfortunately George's personal life was
filled with tragedy .He lost three sons, Jesse in 1985 to suicide,
Georgie Lee in 1993 to a drug overdose and Steven in 1996 to
drug overdose. He lost his wife to suicide after the second son died.
Since his retirement, George speaks to students, parents, and diverse
other groups about substance abuse and how this has impacted his life.
and he has spoken to over 300 schools and numerous detention
centers. He has also founded the charity “George Chuvalo’s Fight Against
Drugs.”
George has also appear in several films films since his retirement from
the ring including The Fly
(1986), Prom
Night III: The Last Kiss (1990) Dirty Work (1998)
and Lee's Offering (2005). He also enjoys cooking and surprised
many of his fans on a March 24, 1975 CBS radio program with his
recipe for black bean soup. So we suggest making a pot of black bean
soup to celebrate Boom Boom's birthday, although we have modified his
recipe to include some vegetable stock, chiles, and spinach. If the
champ has added some spinach to his recipe, he might not have lost his
TKO losses to Joe Frazier and George Foreman. Our celebratory movie for
his birthday is the 1986 remake of The Fly in which
George plays Marky, the ill-fated arm-wrestler. |
|
Black Bean Soup with Chiles and
Spinach |
|
Ingredients
|
16 oz black beans, washed
soaked in 2 quarts water for
six hours or overnight
4 TB canola oil
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
6 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin
|
Salt and pepper to taste
8 cups vegetable stock
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, seeded and finely chopped
1 lb fresh spinach
|
1. Soak the beans in the water for at least six hours.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch
oven, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until
it begins to soften, (about three minutes), and add half the garlic and the cumin. Cook,
stirring, until fragrant,
(about one minute), and add the beans vegetable stock. The beans should be covered by two inches of
stock.
Add water aif needed, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and skim off any foam that rises.
Cover
and simmer one hour.
3. Add the salt, pepper chipotles, and remaining garlic.
Continue to simmer another hour, until the beans are
soft and the broth is thick Taste and adjust seasonings. Let
sit overnight in the refrigerator for the best flavor.
4. Partially puree the soup using an immersion blender, or puree 2 cups
of the beans with a small amount of broth
in a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Stir back into the
soup. Bring to a simmer.
Add the spinach, a handful at a time, andsimmer for five minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Serves 4 |
|
© 2011 Gordon Nary and Tyler Stokes |
| |
|
|