Monkey

Now, people (me too a bit) always like to theorize about Bruce vs This guy or that guy.

Personally, I think its a silly thing to do but we cant help but imagine.

Of course Bruce was very human and could be beaten. Especially against pros, it would only take one slip up. On the other hand if there's anybody who you'd trust to not make mistakes it would be Bruce... just because he had trained so long and hard. But if we are just talking about comparisons of skills and methods, then...

Now, I dont know if yall have read Davis Miller's book, Tao of Bruce Lee. But this guy and Joe Lewis talk about how Bruce wouldnt have been able to stand up against a heavyweight pro boxer, or whatever. Basically saying that Bruce wasnt the greatest fighter of all time or anything like that.

The thing that really shits me about all this is that nobody said Bruce could beat somebody in the ring, and its silly because thats not how he trained.

I think a more interesting question is how would he have gone in a real fight with one of these people, not a sporting match. Because although NHB is Gracie's sport, fighting was Bruce's sport, and I think he was at the top of his game.

I think if Bruce was to get in the ring with Muhammed Ali he would get trashed, but the second you take it out into the street, things would be very different. Very.

I mean, do you really think that in a fight with a pro boxer or grappler or whatever, that Bruce would try 'box' them??? I don't think so. He's going to use the nastiest tactics possible. Although you can call it cheap, thats the way he did things, if you are going to put rules and regulations in and be scared of hurting somebody, then there is no reason to be fighting other than ego or money or whatever. If you are fighting with them, then you hurt them. Bruce DID protect his groin, he was aware that people could attack him there. He did think about those sort of things and prepare himself for them. Nobody did, back in the day. He said it was unfortunate that groin protection had deteriorated to almost nothing in martial arts because of sporting rules and because of what was considered "fair play". Same reason boxers dont kick.

He would have been stomping on their feet, jabbing their eyes, slapping them in the groin, real fast, to fast for your eyes to see his hands, you name it. All it takes is a slap to the groin to end a fight. Now, personally, although its just an opinion and it cant be backed up, I think Bruce would put almost all the boxers and 'fighters' in the world into hospital pretty ****ing quickly, in a real fight. I dont think they could even compare to him. How many boxers have had somebody kick at their kneecaps or groin, or tried to poke their eyes or slap their groin in a clinch, or whatever?? How much of their stuff would just plain not work once their were fighting somebody who didn't fight 'fair'?

About grappling, well, you decide about that but i think that it would be very hard to grapple Bruce Lee, in the street, and make him submit. He'd be biting, putting his fingers in your eyes, grabbing your groin, whatever. ANd thats assuming that he couldn't grapple... which I don't think is quite true. I think he studied grappling and knew what was what in grappling, and was starting to incorporate it more when he died. Seen the episode of Long Street where Bruce was teaching the dude about JKD?? He did the side kicking and punching and all that, and he got the guy in (I think) a front face lock, like front control with a headlock except the guy was face down. Bruce told him that he couldnt do anything, his arms and legs couldn't be used for attacking. They guy agreed.. Bruce told him "BITE ME!"... "Biting is very efficient at very close range". I dont know about any of you but I dont think I could easily pull off any of the grappling stuff I know against somebody who is really fighting dirty. Most positions in grappling has your groin exposed to a hand strike, or a really damaging bite, or eye gouge or fishhook or SOMETHING that would turn things around.

So far this is all without considering how his trapping skills would work, or strength or speed or anything like that.

I just think that here is a guy who is so relentlessly scientific and single minded and real in his training. I dont think most of the pro 'fighters' in the world could touch him, let alone beat him.

But thats just my opinion and if you want to have an opinion about these sort of silly things you need to have some imagination.

Oh one last anecdote.

I read somewhere that in one of his fights, Bruce punched a guy head and gave the guy a fractured skull......

Recently, Mike Tyson got into a street fight, punched some guy in the head... Mike ended up in hospital with a broken hand.

FOr instance, take the gloves off, and see how thnigs change.

Bruce was so far ahead of everybody else back in the day and I think he still is, in some ways. Nobody's more scientific and committed than what he was.

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If ya say ya heard my rhymes
We gonna have to fight
Coz I just made the mother-
****ers up last night
- DJ Run

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