One topic that many people often mention when talking about Bruce Lee is whether he could have won against Muhammad Ali? Both are considered famous martial arts legends in America and lived at the same time.
Muhammad Ali was born in 1942, 2 years older than Bruce Lee. During his boxing career, Ali won 56 matches and lost only 5. Ali won the heavyweight championship 3 times and won the Olympic gold medal in the middleweight category once. In 1999, Ali was honored as "athlete of the century" by Sports Illustrated and BBC .
Meanwhile, Bruce Lee was a famous actor, martial artist, and creator of Jeet Kune Do. Although not a professional fighter, Bruce Lee was considered to have strong fighting power and had a great influence on many martial artists later on. He was also confirmed by UFC President Dana White as the father of modern MMA.
Many people were curious about what would happen if these two famous martial artists clashed. In fact, Bruce Lee, who had a fresh perspective on martial arts, had studied Muhammad Ali closely. Lee Chun-hui, Bruce Lee's younger brother, revealed that the Eastern martial arts legend learned Ali's footwork and used this technique to distract his opponent.
Bruce Lee admits defeat to Muhammad Ali?
Lee Chan-hui shared: “After training, Bruce Lee mainly spent time studying martial arts. He had a video camera to watch Muhammad Ali tapes. He was open to all different martial arts. What Bruce Lee studied was the source of strength, thinking about what was more suitable for his special body."
Although Bruce Lee never fought Muhammad Ali, he is said to have admitted that he could not defeat the boxing legend. This is mentioned in the book “The Making of Enter the Dragon” (1987) by director Robert Clause. Robert Clause directed Enter the Dragon, in which Bruce Lee starred. He also completed the unfinished film Game of Death when Bruce Lee died.
Bruce Lee never fought Muhammad Ali
“ Bruce Lee set up a large mirror to reflect the image of Muhammad Ali. Bruce Lee looked into the mirror and moved along with Ali ,” writes Robert Clause.
The director also revealed important information when he talked to Bruce Lee on the set of Enter the Dragon in 1973. At that time, Bruce Lee confided: “People say that one day I have to fight Ali. I am studying every move he makes. I am gradually understanding how he thinks and moves.”
However, Bruce Lee admitted that he could not defeat Ali. “ Look at my hands. These are just small hands. He (Ali) will knock me out.”
Screenrant explained Bruce Lee's quote: "The boxing champion's (Ali 's ) impressive size and strength gave him an advantage that even someone as skilled as Bruce Lee could not overcome."
If Bruce Lee fought Muhammad Ali, who would win?
According to Screenrant , although Bruce Lee was very capable of defeating opponents larger and stronger than him, Ali, who stood at 6ft 3in, was on a whole other level.
“Muhammad Ali had a solid reputation in the ring and was known for his immense strength and incredible speed. Although Bruce Lee was also remarkably strong and agile, it would have been difficult (if not impossible) for a 148-pound, 5-foot-10-inch boxer to take multiple blows from the world heavyweight champion, who unleashed tremendous power with every punch. After all, Ali was arguably the best in the history of the sport, ” Screenrant wrote.
Muhammad Ali was physically superior to Bruce Lee.
“ Bruce Lee’s comments reflect the immense respect the martial arts icon had for Ali as a fellow fighter. The two never met, but Lee apparently recognized Ali’s exceptional talent through watching his fights on TV ,” Screenrant asserted.
Meanwhile, The Ring analyzed if Ali fought Bruce Lee in a boxing match scenario: “In a boxing match, Bruce Lee, a lightweight or super lightweight, would have no chance against Ali. One punch from Ali could break his neck and no rational person could say otherwise. Western boxing was part of Bruce Lee’s technique but he was not a world champion. In addition, the weight difference makes such a match ridiculous to the point of insulting.”
“ Things change dramatically if the two men were to fight in a mixed martial arts fight. If Bruce Lee had used his legs, he would have had the power, skill and agility to seriously injure Ali. A long knee sidekick has a longer reach than any punch. A boxer has no way to defend against it.
Bruce Lee could use grappling because his strength was incredible. But was Bruce Lee really stronger than Ali? No, and there is no evidence that Bruce Lee was a grappler who could overcome such a size disadvantage, ” The Ring continued.
Muhammad Ali's superior body size gave him an advantage
“ One thing that cannot be ignored is that Bruce Lee was not a professional fighter. Ask yourself: did Bruce Lee have good stamina? Did he have enough endurance in fights? Was he prone to injuries? We do not know the answers to these questions because other than the accounts of Bruce Lee from others and sparring sessions, there is no evidence to determine this ,” The Ring asserted.
Of course, there are still other controversies about Bruce Lee and Ali. Sohu ( China) believes that if Bruce Lee and Ali were put in a room to fight without any rules, Bruce Lee would have a higher chance of winning.
However, in the conclusion, Sohu wrote: “Neither Ali nor Lee were considered losers. Both were winners. Ali was not only the best boxer of his time but also the greatest boxer of all time. Many people also viewed Bruce Lee in a similar way. Both showed extraordinary talent and great enthusiasm for their chosen martial arts, and both were very healthy and generous in character, so they were highly respected.”
