The Last Round - Chuvalo vs. Ali
"Every fight is the intersection of two stories," someone says in this enthralling documentary about a near-forgotten chapter in boxing history. The stories crossing paths inThe Last Roundare those of Muhammad Ali, considered by many the greatest pugilist in history and a controversial figure in his 1960s prime, and George Chuvalo, a Canadian fighter whose fortunes swayed radically until he got a near-accidental shot at Ali's heavyweight crown. While the former Cassius Clay was busy re-inventing himself from sassy press darling to Nation of Islam follower and draft resister, Chuvalo switched managers more often than his socks, scraping by, exploited, and increasingly desperate to realize his potential. Ali never took him seriously until a confluence of social and ideological forces put them together in a ring, where their match-up, as we see through archival footage, had more than a passing resemblance to those 15 rounds inRocky.--Tom Keogh