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Hi,
I was reading a Chuck Norris article when I discovered Joe Lewis passed away. He is considered the greatest Karate expert of all-time.
Joe Lewis was voted by the top fighters and promoters as the greatest karate fighter of all time in 1983.[1] Chuck Norris and Bill Wallace tied for second place. Gene Lebell has credited Joe as the person who "brought us full-contact karate." [6]
On August 31,2012 Martial arts legend and Pioneer Joe Lewis lost a long fight with brain cancer this morning in Virginia, surrounded by family and friends.
Dubbed the “Muhammad Ali” of sport karate, Joe Lewis won more titles in his 17-year fighting career than any other tournament fighter. Unsatisfied with the level of realism in karate, he went on to become the father of American kickboxing.
Lewis was born on March 7, 1944, in North Carolina. He eventually joined the Marines and was stationed in Okinawa. It was while he was there that 18-year-old Lewis began studying shorin-ryu karate under Eizo Shimabukuro, Seiyu Oyata, Chinsaku Kinjo and John Korab, receiving his black belt in seven months. He later went on to study with Bruce Lee, Sugar Ray Robinson, and other greats.
As a fighter, Lewis amassed other important firsts—first World Professional Karate Championships titleholder, first U.S. heavyweight kickboxing champion, and in 1974, the first Professional Karate Association heavyweight full-contact karate champion.
The Black Belt Hall of Fame inducted Joe Lewis as the 1974 Karate Player of the Year. Yet to Lewis, his greatest accolade was being chosen in 1983 by his peers as the “Greatest Karate Fighter of All Time.”
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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."
Last edited by jimmypasta on Fri Sep 14, 2012 9:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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