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The Guelph Mercury TORONTO (CP) - Thirty-six years after his classic bout with Muhammad Ali, George Chuvalo has answered the bell to honour the legendary former boxing champion. Chuvalo, WBC world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and former champions Evander Holyfield and Larry Holmes will all be at SkyDome on Oct. 20 to pay tribute to Ali and participate in a fundraiser for the Parkinson Society of Canada. The event will take place when the Toronto Argonauts tackle the Ottawa Renegades. Chuvalo originally had plans for Oct. 20 but abruptly changed them when asked by the Argos to share the stage with Ali once again. "I think I kind of represent Canada and Toronto so it's only natural I would be there," Chuvalo said during a news conference at the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame. "It doesn't make sense for me not to be there." Ali, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, was not at Monday's gathering. Ali fought Chuvalo at Maple Leaf Gardens on March 29, 1966. Chuvalo, who was the Canadian heavyweight champion at the time, lost but went the distance in a bout Ali called one of his toughest. The two also fought in Vancouver in 1972 with Ali winning in a 12-round decision. "It will be like a family get-together, it will be nice," Chuvalo said of the gathering of present and former boxing champs. "And we're all here to pay tribute to Muhammad, who is a great person and it seems is the most popular person on earth. "It's going to be a fun day and it's all for a great cause so how can you go wrong?" Lewis, who lived in Kitchener, Ont., when he won Olympic gold for Canada in 1988, will be making his first public appearance since beating Mike Tyson on June 8 to retain the WBC and IBF crowns. Lewis, a native of London now fighting for England, has since surrendered the IBF belt. Toronto Raptors centre Hakeem Olajuwon, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin and Olympic champion wrestler Daniel Igali will also participate in the event. As well, entertainer Tom Cochrane will premiere a new song about Ali. Argos marketing consultant Garth Drabinsky wouldn't say how tickets sales for the Oct. 20 game are going. But he's hopeful Ali will attract a sellout crowd of 50,000 to SkyDome. "The public is going to have a chance to interface with the greatest iconic figure of the 20th century and at the same time see how he is perceived by this group of historic men," Drabinsky said. "I don't know how you make a more emotional halftime tribute than that. "And we're not finished yet. I would think there would be at least another five or six hugely significant luminaries who will be part of this fabulous tribute that day." Each game ticket will include a $10 surcharge that will be donated to the Parkinson's Society of Canada. Researchers at the University of Toronto will also share in the proceeds. Each ticket-holder will receive a limited-edition poster upon exiting the stadium. Prior to the contest, ticket-holders will be shown documentary footage on the life of Ali. There will be a pre-game program and a halftime tribute that will conclude with the midfield presentation to Ali. "This is something that every sports franchise should get into and I'm happy to do this," said Argos owner Sherwood Schwarz. "To get Muhammad Ali is incredible because his appearances are so infrequent. "I hope the fans and the population of Toronto comes out to show their appreciation." Bringing in Ali, 60, is the latest in a series of high-profile promotions by Drabinsky. The former entertainment mogul has helped boost the Argos' average attendance to about 20,000 this season from the fewer than 16,000 spectators last year, even though the team is 5-9-0-0. But this is different than Drabinsky's other publicity moves, which have included halftime performances by Amanda Marshall, Shaggy and skateboard superstar Tony Hawk. Bringing in Ali not only helps the Argos but also raises awareness for Parkinson's, which Drabinsky said affects nearly 100,000 Canadians. "I want to believe that we are going to be sold out that game," Drabinsky said. "I want to believe it's going to happen. "I want to believe it because it's for Parkinson's, it's for Ali." Telephone and online donations will be encouraged with segments of documentary Ali footage shown on TSN and CBC football broadcasts starting Oct. 18. The clips will run all weekend through the end of the Argos-Renegades game, which will be broadcast on TSN. During the contest, an area in the lower stadium stands at midfield will be reserved for special guests to answer phones and take pledge calls from across the country. SOURCE: The Canadian Press / The Guelph Mercury http://www.guelphmercury.com/sports/s093075A.html * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn