Who was better, Bruce or Mohammad Ali?

By Al Case

Man, there's gonna be a knock down! I can feel it in my bones! The question is, will Bruce knock down Mohammad, or will Mohammad knock down Bruce?

Okay, first factor to be considered, let's talk about the physical measurements of the combatants. Mohammad Ali was six foot three, and Bruce Lee was only five foot seven. The point goes to Mohammad on this one, though it is a weak point when one considers Bruces legs.

Now, weight is always a critical factor, so let us take a look. Bruce Lees weight went up and down, but at his ripping best he was probably about 160 pounds, Mohammad had his ups and downs in weight, also, but we can round it out to about 200 pounds. Mohammad gets the nod in this area, for 200 pounds of flesh is going to have a sizable boffaloonie behind it.

Speed is often decisive in a fight, and here the edge goes to Mr. Lee. Yes, Mohammad did deliver an invisible punch in one fight. Bruces speed, however, is always a constant blur.

All around martial ability considered, and Bruce gets the edge. Yes, Mohammad was fluid, powerful, and unique, but he was limited to arms. Honestly, though we can only award one point per category, I would like to give more to Bruce, for you would have to tie one of Bruces legs behind his back to get an even fight.

One should never under estimate the importance of the mouth in a fight. Simply, if you talk the talk with sufficient prowess, you might not have to walk the walk. That said, in spite of Bruce having access to script writers, no one in the world could compete with the Louiseville Lip, why, you would have to tie one of Mohammads lips behind his back to get an even contest!

Mohammad has the edge thus far, but the contest is about to even up, for we are going to consider the most important question in the martial arts, pure martial knowledge. Mohammad knew a lot, but his was a natural talent, and, as we have discussed, he was limited to fists. Bruce, on the other hand, not only knew an amazing amount of hits, kicks, trips, throws, and so on, he used to watch movies of Mohammad just to study his techniques!

In conclusion, I am not going to call a knock out, because these men were two fast to be knocked out. But I am going to give a decision to Bruce, this because he not only watched movies of Mohammad Ali, he used to watch them in a mirror so he could adapt Mohammads techniques to both sides! Now that is truly above and beyond, and it is for this reason I give the decision to Bruce Lee! - 31497

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