Chuck Norris Vs. Bruce Lee
I remember being around ten year’s old watching martial arts movies with my best friend Marc. He was a huge Bruce Lee fan, and I idolized Chuck Norris. We used to argue all the time about who would have won in a “real” fight. I say “would have” because this was in 1990 and Bruce died in 1973. Who would have thought that I’d find that answer out years later from those who knew both of these gentlemen?
Many people base their opinion about these two martial arts icons off of the movie Return of the Dragon where they fought each other at the end of the movie, and Bruce ended up killing Chuck. Because of that movie some people feel Bruce was superior. They forget that it was only a movie. Bruce was abnormally gifted. He was a little guy at 5’7” and 146 pounds who hit like a heavyweight and was arguably the fastest striker this planet has ever seen. He certainly was nobody to mess with, but neither was Chuck. Chuck was the first American to ever receive a black belt in a Korean style (Tae Kwon Do), which was an amazing feat.
Bruce was phenomenal and certainly the most iconic person in martial arts history, and he has done the most for the industry in my opinion. Joe Lewis, the greatest heavyweight kickboxer of all time (and one of my instructors) trained with Bruce many times. Joe was a world champion Karate fighter before he even met Bruce. Bruce asked him to become a student under him. Joe liked what Bruce had to offer so he did. He learned from Bruce for around two years. There have been times where Bruce took credit for Joe Lewis’s success. Joe was already a champion before he started training with Bruce. Joe mentioned in an article one time that the image of Bruce was much different than the reality of Bruce. He never fought in the ring, but many of those who knew him say he would have done well. He was phenomenal, but he never proved himself the way Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis and Bill “Superfoot” Wallace have. “Bruce was not a fighter,” Lewis said in one interview. “He was an actor and a teacher. He was a great teacher.”
According to Chuck Norris, he and Bruce “sparred.” If you are not familiar with that term, it simply means that they fought each other in a friendly fashion outside of a sanctioned tournament or match. Usually you go about 80 percent or so and if you daze your sparring partner you back off and let him regroup. In a real bout you go 100 percent, and if you daze him, you do whatever you can to finish him within the context of the rules.
Bruce never believed in high kicks. Chuck was a black belt in a Korean style (known for high kicking) and he educated Bruce that if he learned to kick high it would make his lower kicks a lot better. Bruce ended up loving high kicks after that. During the sparring session Chuck got the best of Bruce and kept hitting him with a certain kick. Bruce got frustrated and said, “You keep kicking me. How can I stop you from doing that?” Chuck replied with, “You could move.” The old adage, “The best defense is to not be there” comes into play here, which means that if someone is firing a punch or kick at you, just simply moving out of the line of fire is the best response.
My professional opinion comes from three of my instructors who actually knew Bruce Lee and worked out with him (Joe Lewis and two others). My one instructor did very well against Bruce. The other instructor actually sparred Bruce, and then ended up fighting Chuck in a tournament. I remember one day I was with this instructor and a commercial came on that Chuck Norris was in. He looked at the television and said, “He kicked my ass.” Then he proceeded to say that Chuck Norris would have ruined Bruce Lee in a fight. This instructor said that when he sparred Bruce it was a pretty even match. Bruce caught him with a good punch and then he kicked Bruce right in the balls and dropped him. He then said when he fought Chuck, it wasn’t pretty. Chuck kicked his butt. By the way, this instructor of mine is certainly no slouch. He was one of Elvis Presley’s bodyguards.
So, according to a man who fought both of them, Chuck Norris would have beaten the tar out of Bruce Lee. Some others will disagree, but what really matters is that both of these fine men have done more for the martial arts industry than anybody else (primarily because of their movies) and both have learned from each other. With all that being said, let us never forget that Chuck Norris was an only child…eventually.
February 1, 2014 @ 12:42 am
I need help settling a dispute. Was Bruce Lee ever Chuck Norris’s teacher? I appreciate your answer.
May 13, 2015 @ 5:05 pm
Hello Carl. I believe I had e-mailed you the answer but just in case, no Bruce was not Chuck’s teacher although Chuck did learn things from Bruce. Bruce also learned things from Chuck. Although Bruce was phenomenal, there were a handful of people, if not more, who were just as good if not better. One of my teachers was the late, great Joe Lewis who was a world champion fighter and later became a student under Bruce. He told me that Bruce Lee the image was much more impressive than Bruce Lee the martial artist. He wasn’t as good or as tough as people thought he was. That’s coming right from one of his students. He told me that there was a reason Bruce didn’t fight. Was he fast? Absolutely. What he a freak of nature in terms of the shape he was in? Absolutely. But he wasn’t the big tough guy fighter his image upholds. I hope I was a help.
February 21, 2016 @ 11:08 am
With all due respect there is another error. Bruce did not ask Joee to train with him according to Joe Lewis. Mike Stone suggested that Joe train with Bruce and Joe did. This is from Joe Lewis American Karate Systems. And there is a video of Joe’s first full contact fight in I believe 1970 and he is moving like Bruce. Please look at his style then and compare it to his stiff tournament style. And he is fighting power side forward as Bruce taught him
“Fortunately, someone came along who gave me the inspiration and desire to start moving forward again. I met Bruce Lee in 1967, and in ’68 Mike Stone convinced me to start working with Bruce. I didn’t think much of Bruce at first because his art was kung fu and he was very small, but my opinion of him soon changed. I worked hard with him and won 11 tournaments in a row, non-stop. Bruce asked me to tell people that I was studying jeet kune do and that I was working under him, which I did. In fact, I had him stand beside me at one of Rhee’s U.S. National Championships as my instructor when I received the trophy. I could tell that he liked that. I was the defending champion, he was a special guest, and he ended up as instructor to the grand champion.
I liked jeet kune do because Bruce got me into doing more movement with my head. Because I’m right-handed, he took me back to my right side forward, which I was using on Okinawa. (I had temporarily switched over to my left side because, in my first National Championships, I had hurt my right heel.
When I fought in the National Championships, I put my left side forward because I could use either side. I still won the tournament, even with my left side forward.) Bruce switched me back right side, or what in JKD is called strong side forward. He got me to use more release on the ends of my kicks and punches, rather than tightening up at the end. (I could then release my power and have more follow through.) Bruce taught me to block with the rear hand instead of the front hand. He re-emphasized explosiveness, which I already had. He was the perfect coach for me.”
Here is video proof. I was at the tournament in the still at 3:18. Me and my friend just went “Oh my God” at the same time! We were in the deck just above sand behind so we had a perfect view!
https://youtu.be/u4l9F_xs_eg
October 23, 2018 @ 8:07 am
Mr. Miller,
Well, you have terribly failed to prove your point about Chuck Norris being the better man as a fighter than Bruce. Now look, I’m talkin’ about a level or standard of proof that would be required in a court of law. You fall terribly below that standard, which is kind of surprising to me since you do sound like an intelligent fellow. “What?!” you might be saying with surprise. Well, you never did give the names of those so-called instructors of yours so that they could be checked out and verified. Us merely takin’ a man’s word about an anonymous man’s (and another anonymous man’s…) word for it is not acceptable in a court of law (or even a bar for that matter), eh boy? You have proved ZIP! Also, here’s a video with Joe Lewis talking about how great Bruce was…and it kind of goes against your take on Lewis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LkqNBWoxeQ
Also, Louis Delgado, a world class karate champion who once beat Chuck Norris, said this about Bruce: “I have never seen anyone like Bruce Lee. I have met and sparred with several karate men, but Bruce has been the only one who has baffled completely. I am completely in awe when I fight with him.”
Ernist Lieb, a world class karate fighter, has considered himself to be no match for Bruce Lee.
Please also consider that Bruce Lee was into point karate like Norris was, but he also knew that point karate is really just about fighting with no contact in mind, which is hardly real fighting at all. Norris never went into full contact fighting. I wonder why. Also, Joe Lewis was a full contact heavyweight karate legend. He was well aware of the fact that, for eg., a small fighter of 130 pounds in point karate could score a full point against him with a punch to the ribs, which if in a full contact match, would’ve done nothing at all. Joe and Bruce did touch gloves in the full contact sense. He did say Bruce popped him a few times…and that Bruce was the fastest man he ever had in front of him, and that Lee could hit as hard as a heavyweight, and that Bruce Lee was the greatest in his mind.
Now see? I gave names and even a video taped testimonial by a very significant fighter that goes against your very weak case for Chuck’s superiority. I would beat your ass in a court of law (or bar) entertaining the question of “CHUCK NORRIS VS BRUCE LEE.” Ha ha. Have a good day, all the same. –Eric
February 21, 2016 @ 10:43 am
Okay. I am 64 years old. I trained under Larry Hartsell. Larry trained NFL lineman at the team training camps, and especially Randy White, a hall of famer for the Dallas Cowboys, numerous government agencies, and the Navy SEALS! Larry on a YouTube interview said he started training with Bruce because Bruce beat his ass! And we all know what pansies NFL lineman and SEALS are 😉 And the NFL respected Larry. They even did it for a long time due to the effects. What they (Dan Inosanto, Larry Hartsell, Tim Tackett, and other JKD people) taught is still used to this day. https://youtu.be/NIEYyraiaLU 49er training camp and a very young Paul Vunak!
https://youtu.be/0k5pIkflNPk?list=PLD4066E6843756AB4 Dr. Bob Ward of the Dallas Cowboys and giving credit to Bruce Lee’s JKD and other tools!
The author is wrong. Chuck Norris was a point sparring champion and never had a full contact match in his life. I respect Chuck for his work ethic and accomplishments, but he was not a “professional” fighter. Bill Wallace, Joe Lewis, and Benny Urquidez were.
Joe Lewis said in an interview that “Bruce hit like a heavyweight:
https://youtu.be/S7oa_PNSzCE
https://youtu.be/0k5pIkflNPk?list=PLD4066E6843756AB4 Randy White talking about how martial arts made him better as a football player. He also trained with Francis Fong.
So how do you question this? Larry lived in awe of Bruce’s abilities and Joe seems to also. I asked Larry what it was like to spar with Bruce and he said “scary.” Bruce never had a pro fight, that is true, but his whole system revolved around full contact and he sparred full contact all the time. And with Larry Hartsell who was 6’0″ and 200 lbs. And Larry is considered one of the best of all time.
I will end with a true story. I was 16 years old. My father got a call on a Saturday morning at about 6:30 am. It was for me. It was from the Ed Parker Santa Monica school where I trained. My dad was not happy but he supported my training 100% and they said it was an “emergency.” It was an emergency. They had to go bail Larry out of jail for a bar brawl. The problem was that Paul Dalton and Norm Pattiz both has 2 set sports cars (Datsun 1600s). So they needed another car.They also knew I would be in at like 9:00am So I got there and they explained it to me. The West Los Angeles division was on Purdue St. and was like 2 minutes from the school. So we get there and I talked to the cops while Norm did the paperwork and paid the bail. Ed Parker had called Norm to do it as Ed lived in Pasadena and Norm lived nearby. He and two other guys had taken out like 8 to 9 guys from what the police told me. They said that in the report the bar was wrecked and Vern Holliman had been picked up and thrown threw the front plate glass window. But Vern got back in and fought. The third guy was a 6’4″ Irish coal miner named John Powers who couldn’t spell Karate, but used to box. The cops said Larry put 4 to 5 guys in the hospital. Larry beat the charges as the other side started the fight. And Larry was really banged up. He had on an ankle wrap, a swollen hand, and some facial bruises. The cops had to take them to the hospital as they were injured. As we got them out Larry saw Norm and Larry lowered his head and said something like “Norm I’ve never been so humiliated in my life” and Norm shot back F#%$ you Larry- you can’t even spell humiliated.”
So a guy that trains Navy SEALS, the NFL, and takes takes out 4 to 5 guys in a fight was in awe of Bruce Lee. Do you really think Chuck would even have a snow ball’s chance in Hell against Bruce? Bruce would have hammered Chuck Norris!
March 22, 2015 @ 2:23 am
he trained w/lee. i don’t know if lee formally taught him. as far as these guys claiming to beat lee or do well against him, jim kelly said that he knew who sparred w/lee & didn’t want to admit that they sparred w/him, but out of respect he wouldn’t say since these guys have reputations to uphold. he did say that nobody could “kick lee’s ass”. he was unbeleivable. u can watch interviews w/kelly on youtube where he talks about lee & answers questions about him.
May 13, 2015 @ 5:09 pm
Jordan, thank you for your comment. As I mentioned in my other response, yes Chuck trained with Lee and they both had a mutual exchange of info. None of them were each others’ formal teacher. As for Jim Kelly, that’s his opinion. He wasn’t by Bruce’s side every time he sparred someone. I’m telling you first hand information that came from those who were there. One of my instructors fought both Bruce (friendly sparring match), and Chuck Norris (in a tournament). He said that he and Bruce were even. Bruce got him a few times and he got Bruce a few times. When he fought Chuck Norris, it wasn’t even a fight. He admitted that Chuck tore him apart. So from his experiences with both men he said Chuck would’ve ruined Bruce. Either way, nobody has done more for the martial arts than Bruce Lee. He will always be the biggest martial arts icon in the world in my opinion.
September 2, 2017 @ 1:51 am
You’re quoting people who might have a personal vested interest to make themselves and their associates (martial art style) look good.
Jim Kelly did not have a close relationship with Bruce, but he himself said Bruce was untouchable on many accounts. Louis Delgado, Mike Stone and a few others from that era said pretty much the same thing.
Bruce, on the other hand, never ever boasted about himself or who he beat. It was the other witnesses or people who trained with him that spread the accounts of how good he was. Never ever take a person’s “firsthand account” especially when it’s possible that the person telling you the story has his ego at stake. Just think Vic Moore and all his lying claims on Bruce – all utterly debunked when the actual video of the championships demo surfaced.
October 24, 2017 @ 1:30 am
You are full of shit and so is your racist, so called, masters who are big time liars concerning Bruce Lee. Lee sparred and tested his skill against all martial artists he came in contact with. We all know about the paper point karate phonies who walked on egg shells while Bruce was alive, then started talking shit after he died. Get a fucking life and get used to the fact that Bruce was the best. You and your faggot masters should try talking that shit to the 99% of UFC fighters who idolize Bruce Lee. But hey, what the fuck do they know huh ass clown?
January 7, 2018 @ 5:58 pm
Wow asshole. These same UFC fighters have just as much respect for Chuck as they do Lee. Oh and no offense but you lose all credibility bringing racism into this. Shut the fuck up.
October 26, 2018 @ 7:59 pm
Mr. Miller, please tell me the name of that certain Elvis bodyguard you say who was an equal of Bruce Lee and wouldn’t have a chance against Chuck Norris. Come on! Be a real man here (what’s this website about?)! Tell me the NAME of this personal instructor of yours. Thank you.
–Eric
December 4, 2015 @ 3:00 am
Chuck norris got a black belt in tang soo do.not tae kwon do
February 5, 2016 @ 10:08 pm
You know, I don’t think there’s any doubt! The fact that Norris truly was a real fighter says it all. As noted in the above Lee never really fought, he taught! Another no-doubter, Joe Lewis would have annihilated Ali in a fight, but then again most good kick boxers, and almost all MMA would do the same! Wayne Arthur
September 23, 2017 @ 6:52 am
[…] of our most popular posts here at Manlihood.com was written by Michael Miller. The post chronicles the legendary fight […]
October 24, 2017 @ 1:33 am
You are full of shit and so is your racist, so called, masters who are big time liars concerning Bruce Lee. Lee sparred and tested his skill against all martial artists he came in contact with. We all know about the paper point karate phonies who walked on egg shells while Bruce was alive, then started talking shit after he died. Get a fucking life and get used to the fact that Bruce was the best. You and your faggot masters should try talking that shit to the 99% of UFC fighters who idolize Bruce Lee. But hey, what the fuck do they know huh ass clown?