Could Bruce Lee beat a Professional Boxer?

[MysticNinjaJay]

If any of those MMA fighters were asked who theyd put their last dollar on it would be bruce. So would you. Who cares if they haven't seen Lee fight, theyd still put their money on Lee. So stop waffling on about nothing!

Personally I wouldn't put my money on Bruce Lee vs. a Mixed Martial Artist like a prime Anderson Silva or Jon Jones but I think he has a better shot of beating elite Boxers because their training is limited to punching.

Yes, so what if Skipper hasn't seen Lee fight bigger men? Skipper has fought bigger men, and he thinks Lee would beat anyone. But we know by now, what Skipper thinks or any world class fighter thinks about Bruce lee isn't going to help you come to a conclusion if Bruce could beat an elite boxer in a street fight. You sit on the fence don't you, you haven't really got an opinion have you on anything?

I've been giving my opinion throughout this thread. You're being extremely defensive and unreasonable.

See, you are just being unfair to Bruce. Whenever Bruce is called into question, he delivers. People have witnessed Bruce being phenomenal against world class fighters. No body witnessed Flane. So you can hardly say its like for like now can you?

On both accounts we have to rely on the person's testimony and nothing more. There's no video of Bruce Lee in a real fight with anyone so there's no concrete evidence either way, not for Flane Walker and not for Bob Wall or Jim Kelly. Flane would be easy to dismiss if not for the connections he mentioned. He gave us his contact information, people he knew, magazines he interviewed in, a time and place for when he knew Bruce Lee all of which can be investigated and falsified if he's lying. That doesn't mean he's telling the truth about hitting Bruce Lee in sparring but he hasn't been refuted.

There are photos of Jim Kelly watching Bruce spar with Bob Wall.

Can you post some?

Jim Kelly has said Lee is untouchable and nobody could beat Bruce in his era. The fact that you don't listen or want to ignore as best as you can Jim Kellys comments, I don't think we need to discuss him any further.

That's not true at all. I have listened to Jim Kelly's interviews and have a lot of respect for him. In one interview he called Bruce Lee the Michael Jordan of sparring. Beyond Jordan in his opinion. He says he sought out Bruce Lee for instruction and was very impressed with him. I find him to be credible.

I've never seen him say Bruce Lee was untouchable only that he disputed claims he ever said that he could kick Bruce Lee's ass and said he believed that no one at the time could do so. I believe based on these observations that Bruce Lee most have been a great fighter.

But here's the thing. No matter how many people vouch for you talk is talk and action is action. No one is untouchable especially against elite competition. As I said things like durability, fight IQ and heart matter in a fight and Bruce Lee was never tested in those areas, not in a fight we can observe. His athleticism, skill and knowledge we can all readily observe from his demonstrations and movies. There are legitimate question marks about his fighting ability.

Peter Archer said Bruce lee made Bob Wall look slow and Bruces athletiscm was too much for Bob Wall, and that Bob was having much difficulty.

Got a source? I looked it up and one of the top results was a Boxingscene thread where you made the same claim in 2009. A source would be appreciated.

But it don't matter to you. You are jealous of Lee so you will try to deny Bruce at every point.

When have I ever denied Bruce? All I have done in this thread is defend him on verifiable information and ask for sources on information that doesn't currently have any. Again I'm a Bruce Lee fan. I'm trying to be as objective as possible here out of respect for Bruce Lee and that means defending arguments I believe to be valid and being skeptical of claims when I find them questionable. I haven't denied anything. You are so fanatical that you scold and insult fellow Bruce Lee fans just because they may say things that you don't like. The one being unreasonable here is you.

[E. O. Wilson]

I'm not a troll and I've been open about being a veteran poster on Sherdog.

And for the last time this thread is about Bruce Lee vs. a Professional (elite) Boxer in a REAL fight. No rules. Think of it in terms of a challenge match in an open space. No weapons. No referee. No gloves. No one can interfere. Just a good old fashioned one-on-one fight.

I distinctly recall you posting troll threads in the politics subforum, along with this exact same thread multiple times, which was usually moved into the "Wasteland" (garbage/spam) subforum. But whatever toots your horn.

[MysticNinjaJay]

I distinctly recall you posting troll threads in the politics subforum, along with this exact same thread multiple times, which was usually moved into the "Wasteland" (garbage/spam) subforum. But whatever toots your horn.

I'm not a troll. Many people have had serious threads put in the wasteland.

I've made other threads about Bruce Lee which you can look up but not this exact thread.

[LoadedWraps]

Another day on BoxingScene hmmm how will I create a new thread today...



Oh I know!!

Subject title shall read -
"How would [Guy that makes movies] compare against a professional boxer?"

List of names to consider -

• Steven Seagal
• Jean Claude Van Damme
• Chuck Norris
• Sylvester Stallone
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Jet Li
• Jackie Chan

Now for the bulk of Information and resources for people to read...

• Google search

Compile a large mass of quotes and talk about some fights he had at amateur level without finding any source of video on it (because there are none) and let peoples wild minds go loose....

And there you have it a new thread on NSB



Yes this will allow me to create threads for the next couple of months!

Obvious sherdog DKSAB troll gets ethered.
Check-mate.


Go crawling back to your inferior site riddled with prepubescent middle-america Dana White knob slobbing plebs, if Bruce Lee himself saw this thread and your ignorance he would backhand you himself and laugh in your face for being such an idiot.

[E. O. Wilson]

Another day on BoxingScene hmmm how will I create a new thread today...



Oh I know!!

Subject title shall read -
"How would [Guy that makes movies] compare against a professional boxer?"

List of names to consider -

• Steven Seagal
• Jean Claude Van Damme
• Chuck Norris
• Sylvester Stallone
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Jet Li
• Jackie Chan

Now for the bulk of Information and resources for people to read...

• Google search

Compile a large mass of quotes and talk about some fights he had at amateur level without finding any source of video on it (because there are none) and let peoples wild minds go loose....

And there you have it a new thread on NSB



Yes this will allow me to create threads for the next couple of months!

Post of the year

[hugh grant]

Personally I wouldn't put my money on Bruce Lee vs. a Mixed Martial Artist like a prime Anderson Silva or Jon Jones but I think he has a better shot of beating elite Boxers because their training is limited to punching.

You are a funny guy. All this time we are led to believe Bruce lee was phenomenal an amazing athlete with so much knowledge and ability, and you conclude from what you know about bruce he might be able to beat a pro boxer? At least a better chance of beating a pro boxer than lets say Anderson Silva or Jon jones.
I don't know what all the fuss is about bruce lee is if that's the case, if I was to listen to you. Might have a good chance at beating a pro boxer in the street........sounds rather human and average to me bruce lee.

I've been giving my opinion throughout this thread. You're being extremely defensive and unreasonable.

No you haven't really giving an opinion. You asked a question and rather sat on the fence as to what you thought personally ie, whether Lee would beat a elite pro boxer in the street.

That's not true at all. I have listened to Jim Kelly's interviews and have a lot of respect for him. In one interview he called Bruce Lee the Michael Jordan of sparring. Beyond Jordan in his opinion. He says he sought out Bruce Lee for instruction and was very impressed with him. I find him to be credible.

I've never seen him say Bruce Lee was untouchable only that he disputed claims he ever said that he could kick Bruce Lee's ass and said he believed that no one at the time could do so. I believe based on these observations that Bruce Lee most have been a great fighter.

You conclude Bruce most likely was a great fighter, but just not a great fighter who could beat a elite pro boxer on the street?

But here's the thing. No matter how many people vouch for you talk is talk and action is action. No one is untouchable especially against elite competition. As I said things like durability, fight IQ and heart matter in a fight and Bruce Lee was never tested in those areas, not in a fight we can observe. His athleticism, skill and knowledge we can all readily observe from his demonstrations and movies. There are legitimate question marks about his fighting ability.

People have given accounts of what happened when Lee sparred or fought. He shut people down according to Bob Wall. So why couldn't he do that to a pro boxer? Why couldnt you assume he'd do that to a boxer? We don't need to know bruces durability and heart in a hypothetical circumstance with a boxer on the street. That's even irrelevant. A boxer wouldn't pose those questions of Bruce.

Got a source? I looked it up and one of the top results was a Boxingscene thread where you made the same claim in 2009. A source would be appreciated.

I have got this in a magazine, id have to look it up, you are quite su****ious, mistrustful though aren't you, which is the signs of jealousy.
Shouldn't try deny that. There is nothing to be ashamed of. If that's how you are towards Bruce that is how you are. You are annoynomous so you haven't got a problem.
You don't get MMA fighters publicly say things like I don't think Bob Wall said that I cant find source for it type things or wondering if Bruce lee could beat a boxer. Ive youtubed it and most MMA fighters talk about how amazing Lee was.
So as I said, anonymity allows you behave in a way ordinarily you wouldn't.

[SnakeVen0m]

Another day on BoxingScene hmmm how will I create a new thread today...



Oh I know!!

Subject title shall read -
"How would [Guy that makes movies] compare against a professional boxer?"

List of names to consider -

• Steven Seagal
• Jean Claude Van Damme
• Chuck Norris
• Sylvester Stallone
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Jet Li
• Jackie Chan

Now for the bulk of Information and resources for people to read...

• Google search

Compile a large mass of quotes and talk about some fights he had at amateur level without finding any source of video on it (because there are none) and let peoples wild minds go loose....

And there you have it a new thread on NSB



Yes this will allow me to create threads for the next couple of months!

Great post, you could add Charles Bronson to that list.

[MysticNinjaJay]

You are a funny guy. All this time we are led to believe Bruce lee was phenomenal an amazing athlete with so much knowledge and ability, and you conclude from what you know about bruce he might be able to beat a pro boxer? At least a better chance of beating a pro boxer than lets say Anderson Silva or Jon jones.
I don't know what all the fuss is about bruce lee is if that's the case, if I was to listen to you. Might have a good chance at beating a pro boxer in the street........sounds rather human and average to me bruce lee.

Professional Boxers are tough. They're in peak physical condition and trade punches to the head and body for a living. If Bruce Lee could beat an elite Professional Boxer that would be very impressive.

No you haven't really giving an opinion. You asked a question and rather sat on the fence as to what you thought personally ie, whether Lee would beat a elite pro boxer in the street.

This is what I said at the end of my opening posts:

I think these facts and observations make a good case for Bruce Lee being capable of beating even the most high level of Boxers. Bruce didn't need to compete to prove that he was a great Martial Artist. The way he trained and what he studied indicate that that his skill level was very high. In the older thread the topic starter pasted an interview with Bob Wall which says that Bruce Lee sparred with and defeated Karate world champions. If he was that good surely he could hold his own with Professional Boxers as well.

That doesn't sound like an opinion to you?

You conclude Bruce most likely was a great fighter, but just not a great fighter who could beat a elite pro boxer on the street?

I think that we don't know and can never know unless we saw him actually fight but given his athleticism, skills and knowledge he could be competitive with a Professional Boxer. The bigger and stronger the Boxer the more difficult the fight would be but I believe Bruce Lee had the tools to shut a Boxer down.

People have given accounts of what happened when Lee sparred or fought. He shut people down according to Bob Wall. So why couldn't he do that to a pro boxer? Why couldnt you assume he'd do that to a boxer? We don't need to know bruces durability and heart in a hypothetical circumstance with a boxer on the street. That's even irrelevant. A boxer wouldn't pose those questions of Bruce.

No one is untouchable, not even Bruce Lee. If he got hit in the face that would answer questions about his durability and his ability to fight through adversity would show us his heart. We don't know the answers to those questions and won't get answers. My opinion on that is that Bruce Lee could get knocked out by bigger, stronger Boxers but he might have the tools to shut them down.

I have got this in a magazine, id have to look it up, you are quite su****ious, mistrustful though aren't you, which is the signs of jealousy.
Shouldn't try deny that. There is nothing to be ashamed of. If that's how you are towards Bruce that is how you are. You are annoynomous so you haven't got a problem.

It's not that I'm not trusting I just value sources. If you could supply such a source I could also use it in future discussions about Bruce Lee. Understand that I actually want to believe that Bruce Lee was the badass Martial Arts legend he's been hyped to be but first and foremost I want the truth. If there were sources for him defeating world champion fighters in sparring matches I would be thrilled to have that information.

You don't get MMA fighters publicly say things like I don't think Bob Wall said that I cant find source for it type things or wondering if Bruce lee could beat a boxer. Ive youtubed it and most MMA fighters talk about how amazing Lee was.

I haven't seen too many MMA fighters debate Bruce Lee's fighting skills.

Have you heard what Bas Rutten had to say about it?



Bas Rutten says if we resurrected a prime Bruce Lee and put him in an MMA fight right off the bat he would lose. This is coming from a die hard Bruce Lee fan who admits he got involved in fighting because of Bruce Lee. But then he goes on to say that give him a short time to train (half a year to a year) he would do good because he was a genius when it came to fighting.

I think that's reasonable. Bruce Lee didn't live in our era. Martial Arts has evolved since the 1960s and 1970s. Professional Mixed Martial Artists have the benefit of full-contact sparring, modern fitness training and well-rounded skills, plus they train with other world class fighters and compete for a living.

Bruce Lee was ahead of his time but what he lacked is challenging himself against top competition. Even if the claims of him beating Karate world champions in full-contact sparring is true Mixed Martial Artists are a much higher caliber of fighter than anyone Bruce Lee would have faced while he was alive.

I saw the documentary I am Bruce Lee which featured a lot of Mixed Martial Artists all of whom praised Bruce Lee. But I don't think anyone was asked how he would do in a real fight. They praise him for being such an inspiration to them but few have answered that question.

So as I said, anonymity allows you behave in a way ordinarily you wouldn't.

I'm very honest and an objective analyst. If you talked to me in person I would be straight with you about what I thought. For me the biggest question about Bruce Lee in a real fight with professional fighters is his own fighting experience. Sparring isn't a real fight and the best Martial Arts champions of his era competed in point fighting.

This is what those fights looked like:




In fact this is what the first full-contact Kickboxing match looked like.



Joe lewis vs greg baines First Kick-Boxing... by usakaratestory


Notice that Joe Lewis and his opponent still fight like point fighters. This is a guy who was actually trained by Bruce Lee and credits him for improving his technique. That makes me wonder how Bruce Lee would have fought. We don't have any video of these sparring matches so we don't know what Bruce Lee in a real fight even looks like. Bruce Lee himself was disappointed in his performance against Wong Jack Man which was a no-holds-barred challenge match. I'm sure he improved after that but he didn't regularly fight anyone of a high caliber, just got in to occasional street fights with nobodies and challengers of unknown skill level.

I think he loses to Mixed Martial Artists because they have more well-rounded skills but is more competitive with Boxers because their skills are limited to punching. That's my opinion. I'd like to believe Bruce Lee was as good as it gets but like everyone he had limitations.

[billeau2]

All this talk (read: pathetic and emotionally charged attempt at wit) is on the ASSUMPTION that weapons will be involved. I guarantee you if you looked at 100 fights in your lifetime, no matter what country you're fron, more than 50 of them will NOT involve weapons and will simply involve the human body of 1 man vs the human body of another man.

Ive seen plenty of bar fights and street fights and in only a few have i seen "pool cues, bottles and knives" being used. Most start with flying fists and end up on the floor, wrestling.

Thats not the point. There are subtle differences in the training that make a martial artist a martial artist....I bounced for years in a place, on a block with 3 other clubs where fights were regular. In ALL that time you want to guess how many times I saw a martial arts technique applied? heres a hint, not often at all, hardly ever because real effective martial arts are not about a long drawn out fight. One of my favorite teachers told me and I would agree that as a martial artist if it takes you more than a few seconds to put someone down you better go back to the drawing board. Thats the kind of peformance Bruce Lee was interested in....not a long out fight. Its why Lee emphasized explosive movements.

Also on grappling. MMA guys are trained to get position first, you do not train on the street this way unless you want to get kicked in the head, or knifed in the side as you lock in a choke.

You think that because the majority of fights you saw did not involve weapons or multiple opponents that this is the norm? No sir. You are DEAD wrong, wrong because this is a misconception and DEAD because this misconception could get you killed.

Lee was training as a martial artist not as a fighter. I explained some subtle differences to you in this post (you are welcome) there are many more. Like for example how to carry and use weapons, how to offset odds, multiples using a weapon etc. Lee was not so knowledgable in these areas but his students, guys like Dan Insanto are...they ran with Lee's concepts and took them to a logical place.

[hugh grant]

Professional Boxers are tough. They're in peak physical condition and trade punches to the head and body for a living. If Bruce Lee could beat an elite Professional Boxer that would be very impressive.

Yes it would, and most people think Bruce lee would and if you are in denial of that fact, you are a hater as ive said many times before. You show all the symptons of jealousy.

I think these facts and observations make a good case for Bruce Lee being capable of beating even the most high level of Boxers. Bruce didn't need to compete to prove that he was a great Martial Artist. The way he trained and what he studied indicate that that his skill level was very high. In the older thread the topic starter pasted an interview with Bob Wall which says that Bruce Lee sparred with and defeated Karate world champions. If he was that good surely he could hold his own with Professional Boxers as well

You are trying to make out as if people dont think bruce lee would destroy any boxer not name Ali already! Stop playing games, trying to pull the wool over peoples eyes, thats why im being hard on you. Most people who hate Lee like at the begginning of this thread are quite happy to not hide that fact.
Yes, Bruce Lee is as good as you heard, and yes most think Lee would beat any boxer who laced up. So dont need you to make a half hearted case for Bruce, bruce will do fine without you.

It's not that I'm not trusting I just value sources. If you could supply such a source I could also use it in future discussions about Bruce Lee. Understand that I actually want to believe that Bruce Lee was the badass Martial Arts legend he's been hyped to be but first and foremost I want the truth. If there were sources for him defeating world champion fighters in sparring matches I would be thrilled to have that information.

You are jealous and mistrusting right from the outset with your i cant find the souruce of bob wall interrivew on the internet, therefor i think its likely false. And thats just not what normal people do, unless they got a problem. You wont find any MMA imply a Bob Wall interview is false like you have. A Bob Wall interiview saying how great Lee was, would just confirm just how good they already thought Bruce lee was. What Bob said wouldnt shoch them rather confirm what they thought already.

But you do believe bruce was a bad ass already, youve got Bob Wall saying how he put serious pain on champs and shut them down like they never been shut down before. Youve got Delgado saying Lee was a awesome fighter, you got skipper saying hed pick Lee in any street situation. If that aint made your mind up i dont think me giving you a source of peter archer will help. You are just stirring again, its what you do.