Joe Lewis
Voted the greatest karate fighter of all time
- Born
- March 7, 1944, Knightdale, North Carolina, US
- Died
- August 31, 2012 (aged 68)
- Nationality
United States- Height
- 183 cm (6′0″)
- Stance
- Orthodox
- Style
- Lead-side power fighter
- Weight
- Heavyweight
- Active
- 1966–1983
The record
Professional kickboxing and full-contact karate, 1970–1983, as given in his Wikipedia infobox; the article body gives a combined 17-4 with 15 KOs. His 1960s point-karate tournament bouts are not counted. record
The story
oe Lewis found karate as a U.S. Marine in Okinawa and, with only 22 months of training, won the grand championship at the 1966 U.S. Nationals, a title he held until 1969. In 1968 he beat Victor Moore for a world heavyweight title in New York. On January 17, 1970 he knocked out Greg Baines in what is recorded as the first kickboxing bout in North America, and he retired from that sport as unbeaten U.S. heavyweight champion before winning the new PKA world heavyweight title in 1974. A training partner of Bruce Lee, he fought from a bladed stance behind a lead side kick that opponents knew was coming and still could not block. Fighters and promoters voted him the greatest karate fighter of all time in 1983. He died in 2012.
Tap a technique with an arrow to learn how it works.
- U.S. Nationals grand champion (1966–1969)
- World Professional Karate Championships heavyweight champion (1968)
- U.S. heavyweight kickboxing champion (1970–1971, retired unbeaten)
- PKA world heavyweight full-contact karate champion (1974)
- Black Belt Hall of Fame (1975)
- Voted the greatest karate fighter of all time by fighters and promoters (1983)
Defining matches
- 1966WINvs Thomas Carroll (U.S. Nationals grand championship final, 2-0)
- 1968WINvs Victor Moore (World Professional Karate Championships, New York; world heavyweight title)
- 1970WINvs Greg Baines (first kickboxing bout in North America, KO 2)
- 1970WINvs Ed Daniel (U.S. heavyweight kickboxing title defence, Dallas, KO 2)
- 1974WINvs Frank Brodar (PKA world heavyweight title, Los Angeles, KO 2 with a ridge hand)
Use the lead side kick like a jab: from a bladed stance, lift the lead knee and drive the heel straight through the target without a telegraphing step first. Throw it often enough that it becomes your range-finder, then follow it with the back fist or reverse punch.
2014–now
