Remember, Bruce in all his writings, speeches and training protocols demanded the necessitated need for full contact sparring with safety equipment such as the specially designed equiptment, both hybrid Boxing gloves with fingers were used as well as footpads or shinguards. He consistently spoke about this, assuring that hundred percent contact and intensity was more realistic with protective gear and rules protecting the groin and eye gouge, then the supposedly deadly martial artists, who did the techniques that you can only execute without full speed or power, with a cooperating opponent.
However, Bruce never practiced what he preached and 2 top true fighters of his time (Chuck Norris and Joe Lewis) were made to appear to be his students, but both of them claimed it was a more of a mutual training and sharing of ideas. But most tellingly, both especially Joe Louis stated that Bruce refused to everRemember, Bruce in all his writings, speeches and training protocols demanded the necessitated need for full contact sparring with safety equipment such as the specially designed equiptment, both hybrid Boxing gloves with fingers were used as well as footpads or shinguards. He consistently spoke about this, assuring that hundred percent intensity was more realistic with protective gear and rules protecting the groin and eye gouge, and supposedly having did the techniques that you can only executed have speed or power with a cooperating opponent spar and they never ever did anything with real contact, in any session that either fighter was doing with him.
Lewis was respectful, but subtly implied why this "fighter," who advocated speed and technique over size and real sparring over forms and theory, would never , ever want to spar with him, despite knowing it was a chance for Bruce to test his techniques on one of the true first full contact fighters as well as a champion. Bruce was an actor with a great mind for martial arts and physical training, but he was no fighter. He never sparred his best students (as he himself acknowledged the best path to physical development), nor bothered competing in kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai (yes he was aware of it and trying to add the low Thai kick to JKD), or any wrestling or Judo tournaments.
Compare him to a Rolls Gracie or Rickson Graice, who both competed in wrestling, judo, Sambo, jiu jitsu, submission grappling, Luta Livre fights, as well as full on NHB fights. These men were fighters, not actors...
