Chuck Norris – World Champion
In 1968, Chuck Norris achieved the title of world champion in Middleweight Karate, a status he maintained for six years in a row. This accomplishment earned him the respect of his friend and martial arts competitor, Bruce Lee. Both of them had mesmerized audiences with their martial arts performances in various movies. However, it was in 1972 when Bruce Lee proposed a fight sequence that would become one of the most memorable scenes in martial arts cinema.
Chuck Norris revealed in a 1995 interview with Conan O’Brien how this proposal came to be. Lee had called Norris, offering him a unique role in his movie. The two were to engage in a fight that would be unlike any of Lee’s previous on-screen battles. The twist was that Norris was expected to lose in the end. Lee’s respect for Norris was a key factor in this casting decision, marking the beginning of an enduring legacy shared between the two martial arts stars.
The resulting fight scene took place in the film The Return of the Dragon (known as “The Way of the Dragon” in China), which was a Box Office hit. The lengthy, intense fight sequence in the Colosseum between Norris and Lee is still widely remembered today.
During his conversation with Conan O’Brien, Norris shared that he was the only one who had the privilege to truly fight back against Lee, even on-screen. This was because of Lee’s respect for Norris’s skills as a world champion. This allowed them to create one of the most iconic fights in cinema history.
Norris also remembered his fight training with Lee, which lasted for three years before Lee moved to Hong Kong to further his movie career. Norris praised Lee as being “way ahead of his time”, contributing to the fascination surrounding their fight. He also recalled the phone call he received from Lee regarding the movie role offer. When Norris asked Lee if he had to lose the fight, Lee affirmed. This memory brought laughter to Norris when he recounted it on the Conan show.
Bruce Lee’s influence is still notable today, filled with mysteries that continue to be revealed. Despite his passing in 1973 after the release of his highest-grossing film “Enter the Dragon”, Lee is remembered with respect by friends and foes alike​.
