I'd like to revisit the topic of an old thread on Bruce Lee titled, "bruce lee vs any boxer (106lbs to 240lbs)." In the thread a lot of claims were made about the fighting skills of Bruce Lee. There was some praise and doubts. The doubters questioned his fight record and ability. I'd like to address some of the discussions in that thread as well as contribute my own observations to this thread.
Bruce Lee in Boxing
In discussing Bruce Lee vs. a Professional Boxer it is noteworthy to mention that Bruce Lee himself had experience with Western Boxing. Before he came to America Bruce Lee won the 1958 Hong Kong Inter School Boxing Championship. He beat several Boxers including a local 3-time Boxing champion named Gary Elms.
The Bruce Lee Foundation describes the event as follows:
In the older thread a poster named bsrizpac called in to question the authenticity of Bruce Lee's fight record including the existence of Gary Elms.
Bsrizpac cited a post on the message board Bullshido which states that there is no verification of a Boxing record for Gary Elms nor is there any reference to him that can be found on the internet other than him losing to Bruce Lee. I investigated this claim and discovered that there is at least one eye witness account to the fight itself by a Martial Artist named Rolf Clausnitzer, author of the first English language book on Wing Chun, who claims to have sparred with Bruce Lee and known Gary Elms personally who he says was a classmate at his school.
Here's a quote from an interview with Clausnitzer on the fight:
So Bruce Lee himself competed in Boxing. We have an eye witness account of him winning an amateur Boxing tournament. Bruce Lee did not take Boxing lessons at this time. His training was purely in Wing Chun. Bruce Lee at this time had not yet evolved in to the Bruce Lee of legend whom we are comparing to professional Boxers. His development as a Martial Artist was not complete but it is important to know that he had experience with the Sweet Science.
Bruce Lee in Boxing
In discussing Bruce Lee vs. a Professional Boxer it is noteworthy to mention that Bruce Lee himself had experience with Western Boxing. Before he came to America Bruce Lee won the 1958 Hong Kong Inter School Boxing Championship. He beat several Boxers including a local 3-time Boxing champion named Gary Elms.
The Bruce Lee Foundation describes the event as follows:
In high school, Bruce, now no longer a weak child, was beginning to hone his body through hard training. One of his accomplishments was winning an interschool Boxing Championship against an English student in which the Marquis of Queensbury rules were followed and no kicking was allowed.
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Originally posted by bsrizpac
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Here's a quote from an interview with Clausnitzer on the fight:
DP: Lucky for you it wasn't a library book! After that, did you get to see Bruce doing Wing Chun on any other occasion?
RC: Not long after, I was privileged to see Bruce again, not face to face, but in action at the Hong Kong Inter School Boxing Championships. Ironically, his opponent just happened to be good old Gary Elms, one of my schoolmates.
DP: What was Gary Elms like? Did you know him well?
RC: Gary, also nicknamed "Garung", was one of those irrepressible, but likable nuisances. Although he was considerably lighter and smaller, that didn't stop him from pestering me and others. I'd wrestle him to the ground, pinch his nostrils and force grass into his mouth to make him say "Uncle", but he would never submit. As soon as I got up in frustration, he'd jump me again. He was one tough nut.
DP: So, how was their match together? As an eyewitness, what can you say about the fight?
RC: His bout with Bruce turned out to be the most amazing and bizarre boxing match I have ever seen and expect to see. I honestly believe that Gary did not land even one single scoring punch throughout the entire 3 x 1 minute rounds, with Bruce deflecting and taking all of Gary's punches on his arms. Gary was knocked down several times, but he was not knocked out (contrary to what has been reported in various articles and books!) and, even more surprisingly, he did not appear to be hurt or distressed. Each time he was floored, he would immediately jump back up. That's why the referee did not stop the fight. Notwithstanding Gary's extraordinary toughness, I was amazed to see him survive the bout in such good shape. It was not until later when I caught up with Frank that some sort of explanation emerged.
DP: Do you recall what your brother Frank told you about this?
RC: Apparently, when Frank and his friends went to congratulate Bruce after the bout, Bruce was shaking his head and looking far from pleased with himself. His reply to Frank's obvious question was something along the lines of, "Damn it, I couldn't knock the guy out". His rationalisation was that the large (16oz?) gloves neutralised the intended, penetrating effect of tilting the wrist on impact, a practice common to many Wing Chun practitioners (I gather he abandoned this practice in later years). He reckoned that this force was not penetrating the padding and, in any case, Gary was already being propelled backwards from the pushing impact of the glove. He swore that he would continue training until he could achieve the penetration he wanted. He also had his sights set on Peter Burton, a stylish and hard punching boxer from St George's School (which was exclusively for the children of British Armed Forces personnel in Hong Kong), a much bigger and heavier competitor who had TKO'd his opponent in the second round. By the way, Frank and I met Peter (who turned out to be half German as well) at a party a few weeks later and we talked about Bruce, but it's unlikely that such a bout would ever have been approved because of the weight and size differences and, in any case, Bruce left for the USA a few months later to begin a new chapter in his amazing life.
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RC: Not long after, I was privileged to see Bruce again, not face to face, but in action at the Hong Kong Inter School Boxing Championships. Ironically, his opponent just happened to be good old Gary Elms, one of my schoolmates.
DP: What was Gary Elms like? Did you know him well?
RC: Gary, also nicknamed "Garung", was one of those irrepressible, but likable nuisances. Although he was considerably lighter and smaller, that didn't stop him from pestering me and others. I'd wrestle him to the ground, pinch his nostrils and force grass into his mouth to make him say "Uncle", but he would never submit. As soon as I got up in frustration, he'd jump me again. He was one tough nut.
DP: So, how was their match together? As an eyewitness, what can you say about the fight?
RC: His bout with Bruce turned out to be the most amazing and bizarre boxing match I have ever seen and expect to see. I honestly believe that Gary did not land even one single scoring punch throughout the entire 3 x 1 minute rounds, with Bruce deflecting and taking all of Gary's punches on his arms. Gary was knocked down several times, but he was not knocked out (contrary to what has been reported in various articles and books!) and, even more surprisingly, he did not appear to be hurt or distressed. Each time he was floored, he would immediately jump back up. That's why the referee did not stop the fight. Notwithstanding Gary's extraordinary toughness, I was amazed to see him survive the bout in such good shape. It was not until later when I caught up with Frank that some sort of explanation emerged.
DP: Do you recall what your brother Frank told you about this?
RC: Apparently, when Frank and his friends went to congratulate Bruce after the bout, Bruce was shaking his head and looking far from pleased with himself. His reply to Frank's obvious question was something along the lines of, "Damn it, I couldn't knock the guy out". His rationalisation was that the large (16oz?) gloves neutralised the intended, penetrating effect of tilting the wrist on impact, a practice common to many Wing Chun practitioners (I gather he abandoned this practice in later years). He reckoned that this force was not penetrating the padding and, in any case, Gary was already being propelled backwards from the pushing impact of the glove. He swore that he would continue training until he could achieve the penetration he wanted. He also had his sights set on Peter Burton, a stylish and hard punching boxer from St George's School (which was exclusively for the children of British Armed Forces personnel in Hong Kong), a much bigger and heavier competitor who had TKO'd his opponent in the second round. By the way, Frank and I met Peter (who turned out to be half German as well) at a party a few weeks later and we talked about Bruce, but it's unlikely that such a bout would ever have been approved because of the weight and size differences and, in any case, Bruce left for the USA a few months later to begin a new chapter in his amazing life.
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that one honestly still cracks me up every time.
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