Chuck Norris considered Bruce Lee a good friend, and recently talked about the legendary martial arts phenom from years gone by.
While I knew and wrote about the theme park being built in his honor, I haven't kept up with the other things being done to show forth the career and life of Bruce Lee.
Norris talked about a number of added projects centered around Lee, including the "2008-9 openings of a 40-episode biopic miniseries, a Broadway show, a remake of 'Enter the Dragon,' and the creation of a theme park."
One reason Norris brought talks about this, is when the subject of Bruce Lee comes up, the inevitable question follows on whether Norris believed he could have beaten Lee in a competitive battle.
Because of Norris' film and television career, he reminds people that it has been largely lost that he became the World Professional MiddleWeight Karate champion. He eventually retired in 1974 as the undefeated champion.
He does set the record straight that he never has said he "would be no match for Lee in a real fight," as he says was reported in the Toronto Star not too long ago.
Another interesting insight about Lee that I didn't know, was he had never competed professionally. I think most people - like I did - assumed he had. Some acquaintances did say he had been in a number of street fights - for lack of a better word - where he would fight people who would come looking for him believing they could beat him. At least that's what some of his friends have written about him.
As far as Norris' thoughts on whether Lee could have been a great professional champion, he believed he would have become a world champion in his weight class, but was known primarily for his acting role as a fighter, and his great ability to market himself.
Now, does Norris think he could beat Lee? He gives the answer in his column here. If you're a Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris fan, you'll really enjoy the article he wrote.
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