How the Hong Kong martial artist influenced boxing
There have been a number of boxers down the years who could be said to have influenced the modern era. A century ago, for example, heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey was pulling $1 million at the gate, Muhammad Ali and his flamboyant showmanship inspired a generation to put on gloves, and Mike Tyson with his ferocious power, was pure box office. Even now, their achievements in the ring continue to impress and inspire youngsters looking to follow in their footsteps.
One name which may not spring to mind when it comes to his influence on the sport is that of Bruce Lee. Only 33 when he sadly passed away, Lee's influence can still be felt across martial arts, Mixed Martial Arts and, yes, boxing. Lee brought a whole new market to combat when he started appearing in movies whose legacy resonates to this day.
Lee made his name fighting in films such as Enter The Dragon, but that was almost fifty years ago. However, his popularity endures today through his depictions in digital media. For instance, On iOS, Bruce Lee: Enter the Game has ensured many modern fight fans have access to fresh content featuring the iconic star. There is even an online slot from Foxy Bingo called Bruce Lee, which features his imagery and branding to attract new gamers. If that wasn't enough, he's also been a playable character in UFC 2 by EA Sports, pitting him against modern MMA fighters digitally. All of that goes some way to underlining why he remains so popular with fight fans, but it might be less obvious exactly how he's impacted modern boxing.
Lee's philosophy of Jeet Kune Do, or 'intercepting fist', is all about attack with its focus on efficiency (go straight for the target with full power), directness (being disciplined) and simplicity (don't overcomplicate things), and focus on attack. Lee had five principles of attack which he would use to maximum effect on his opponent, and even now, almost 50 years after his death, many boxers still follow his methods. We're going to look at three of them and see how they are being used.
SINGLE DIRECT ATTACK
In this manoeuvre, the fighter combines attack with defence and requires split-second timing, balance and an accurate assessment of distance from the opponent. By jabbing with the lead while at the same time bending from the waist to minimise his opponent's target. By being able to read an opponent's body language, a fighter is able to anticipate an assault and is able to adjust his body accordingly, neutralise the opponent's attack and respond with a single punch catching them off guard. Larry Holmes, who possessed one of the best jabs in the history of boxing, was a perfect example of the SDA in the ring.
ATTACK BY COMBINATION
Nothing gets the crowds off their seats like a flurry of punches thrown in the ring, and Bruce Lee was a master at this. A combination is a number of punches thrown in quick succession and can include hooks to the body and uppercuts, which are a perfect introduction to a powerful hook. For example, throwing a number of uppercuts can serve to keep your opponent's guard busy while you manoeuvre your body position to throw a hook to the body. Rather like chess, the boxer will have planned and prepared a number of combinations in advance and will unleash one of them when they sense the optimum moment in the ring. Other common combinations include jab – cross – hook and the jab – cross – uppercut – cross. One of the best exponents of combinations was Sugar Ray Leonard, who openly credited Bruce Lee as an inspiration describing him as a 'gift to millions of people'.
PROGESSIVE INDIRECT ATTACK
The idea of pretending to do something is common across a number of sports. A rugby player, for example, pivots his body to the left but throws the ball to the right, catching his opponent off guard. In combat sports, Bruce Lee described this as feinting or pretending to throw a punch to create an opening in an opponent's defences and is best used against a strong, defensive fighter by creating uncertainty in their mind. By feinting, you can mask your footwork, the opponent instinctively throws up his guard, creating a sliver of an opening that can be attacked. It's a skill all champions have, but it takes time to acquire.
Sports' present is so often anchored to its past, and so it is with boxing where the influence of earlier icons lingers to this day. That so many gyms around the world still attach themselves to many of Bruce Lee's philosophies says a lot about how much his brief life impacted the world of boxing and combat sports in general, and to borrow from Elton John's ode to Marylin Monroe, Lee's candle may have burned out long ago, but his legend and influence remains with us to this day.