Isaias Duenas, the surprise from Mexico.

Introduction :

Isaias Duenas Riestra was born in Mexico, in 1950. In 1976, Duenas is enrolled as a student in law. He begins by practicing Taekwondo.

In 1973, he takes part in the first Taekwondo World Championship, in South Korea. He doesn't win a medal. By contrast, his team, of which he is the leader, finishes 3rd at the event. Duenas doesn't take part in the following World Championships.

In 1974, his Moo Duk Kwan team wins the championships, in Mexico.

Full Contact :

On Sept. 14th 1974, in Los Angeles, Duenas takes part in the famous event during which the first World Champions PKA are designated. He fights in lightweights. In the first match, he meets the German Frank Knittel. In the middle of the 2nd round, Duenas puts his opponent ko. Video of the fight : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIHbej7LtUw

During his 2nd fight of the evening, Duenas faces Ramon Smith, of the Dominican Republic. In the prelims, Ramon Smith has beaten Howard Jackson, the great favourite from the USA. In the 3rd round, Duenas wins by tko, after winning the first two rounds. He becomes World Champion in the lightweights division.

In 1975, the Professional Karate magazine, now defunct,

Paris/France, May 25th1976. Palais des Sports. The team USA meets Europe. He fights against Jörg Schmidt, Berlin/Germany. The match was stopped in the 3rd round, Schmidt loses because his nose is broken. Throughout the beginning of the fight, Schmidt dominates Duenas. Video of the fight : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP2pkpseSvo

We know no other fight for Duenas.

In December 1976, Duenas is having his title taken away by the PKA., because he had not fought against Benny Urquidez.

Videos and style :

It is possible to see DUENAS on two videos, one on You Tube, during a demonstration against Ramiro Guzman, another Mexican World Champion. This is an excerpt of a broadcast on the French television, serving as a presentation for the fight above cited. http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=_SZyRrFRMlM. Image below.

During this short exhibition, Duenas tents many returned kicks , or even sauteed.

The second is located on the site of the PKA and presents images from the evening of Sept. 14th 1974. http://www.pka-kickboxing.com/pka-kickboxing-history.html.

It has been noted that Duenas, right, does not hesitate to fly in the air.

His nickname is the "Mexico Toro".

Currently, Duenas is presented as a 8th Dan Taekwondo and teaches in his country.

Jeff "The DC Bomber" Smith

Introduction :

As with all our other articles, we have only limited information available. It is necessary to take conditional for everything that follows.

Traditional Karate and Taekwondo :

Jeffrey "Jeff" Smith is a practitioner of Taekwondo. He begins his career in this sport in Texas, before moving to Washington DC, where he trains with Jhoon Rhee. Jeff Smith is 5'11'', or 180 cm.

1970 :

Jeff Smith takes part at the Universal Open and Tournament of Champion, in New-York. His fight with Byron Jones is delayed, because of an accidental eye injury received by Jones.

1971 :

Jeff Smith took part in Mike Warren's Kim Joo II Tournament in Akron, Ohio. According to October 1971 Black-Belt issue, he finishes second in the lightweights ?, losing against Mike Warren.

Thereafter, Jeff Smith takes part in tournaments of traditional Karate.

1972 :

Jeff Smith wins the Grand-Champion of the Pan American Championships in Baltimore.

During the North American Championships in Toronto/Canada, Jeff Smith wins the heavyweights title, but loses against Mike Warren for the Grand-Champion.

1973 :

Battle of Atlanta. Jeff Smith beats Frank Hargrove, John Natividad and Everett Monsterman Eddy in the semi-finals. In finals, Howard Jackson beats Jeff Smith.

05.31.1973 : Jeff Smith beats Bill Wallace 5-1, Fred Wren 5-1, Darnell Garcia 5-1 and Howard jackson 6-5 at the US Pro/Am (or US Open Championships), in Ocean-City.

For the Karate Team Championships, the Texas team is composed of Kurban, Butin, Gotcher, Watson and Havanas, and is coached by Allen and Pat Steen Burleston. The Washington DC team, coached by Jhoon Rhee, is composed of Gordon Franks, Wayne Booth, Wayne Van Buren, Pat Worlen and Jeff Smith. Smith won his match against Havanas 3-0 and the team of Washington beat Texas 6-4.

Jeff Smith (left) against Demetrias Havanas
US Team Championship 1973

Top Ten Nationals. Jeff Smith beats first John Natividad, and after James Butin for the heavyweights finals, 4-3. For the Grand-Champion, Jeff Smith loses against Johny Lee, during the first fight.

1973 : US Open Professional. Ocean City. Jeff Smith beats Howard Jackson 7-6, in the finals. Video of the fight : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOjqz2SWdls

1973 : Jeff Smith wins the title of Grand Champion at the first "Professional Karate Tournament", for the West Coast team.

1974 :

Henry Cho's Tournament of Champion. Mike Warren beats Jeff Smith in the finals. Before that, Jeff Smith beats Doo Han Kim and William Oliver.

Jeff Smith loses against Ernest Russel, in the US championships, after a victory over Eddy Everett. Jeff Smith beats Everett Eddy once again during the team tournament and his team from Washington DC wins the title. Jeff Smith gets the trophy Bruce Lee, in the same time.

04.20.1974 : Battle of Atlanta : Jeff Smith def Johnny Lee, 4-3, then lost to Howard Jackson 4-3. For the 3rd place, Jeff Smith beats Eddy Everett, 3-2.

Beginning of may 1974 : On Hidy Ochiai's National Karate Classic, Jeff Smith loses against Eddy Everett, for the title of Grand Champion.

On May 17th 1974, in Berlin, is held the first European Championship Professional Karate. Various European fighters are selected for Los Angeles. At the end of the day, fights take place between the Europeans and the Americans. Jeff Smith def Harald Schrader by 5/0, second in the European middleweights.

A few days later, he beats before the limit Peter Kredijt, a Kyokushinkai practitioner, in a match between the USA and the Netherlands, in Amsterdam.

Jeff Smith vs. John Nativitad, circa 1973 or 1974.

July ? Augustus ? 1974 : Jeff Smith def Darnell Garcia, in the Ed Parker's Internationals Karate Championships, in Long Beach.

06/15-16.1974 : Parker Shelton beats Jeff Smith 1-0, for the USKA Grand-Nationals.

07.13/14.1974 : Jeff Smith is announced in the US Pro Am Karate Championships, in Ocean-City, as the defending champion. Results ?

07.19.1974 : Jeff Smith beat Fred Wren for the middleweight crown, at the Karate Olympics in Houston. Thank you to Ian McGeachy and Steve Van Dien for this information.

07.20.1974 : Jim Butin beats Jeff Smith 7-5, for the Top Ten Nationals, in St. Louis.

Full Contact :

Sept. 14th 1974 : Los Angeles: The world championship are organized by a new federation, the PKA (Professional Karate Association). Traditional karatekas from the USA and European fighters, are sorted in a unknown manner. Jeff Smith, like all other participants, have no experience of fighting with KO, with the notorious exception of Joe Lewis and Wally Slocki (which have already met in a match with contact).

During the first battle, Jeff Smith def Budimir Vejnovic, Yugoslavia, a resident of Berlin, in the 1st round, with a right hand followed by a kick. Jeff Smith beats Wally Slocki, Canada, on points. Smith wins the first round and Slocki the second. Finally, Smith wins the third round, as a point is deducted against Slocki, following the instructions given by the referee. Video of the fight : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qDbxdQ29os

That evening, Jeff Smith becomes World Champion of the middleweights for the PKA. Joe Lewis and Bill Wallace also become champions of the World, in their respective categories.

July 1975 : Jeff Smith wins against Jim Butin/USA, by tko in the 5th .

07.27.1975: Jeff Smith def Ben Wilbor and Augie Evans, in Hawaii, each by ko in the 2nd round, during fights planned in 3 rounds. They took place during the 4th Tommy Lee's World Series of Martial Arts. A special feature is noteworthy. As shown on the photos, fighters are wearing protections on the elbows and are allowed to use these body parts to hit their opponent.

10.10.1975 : At the 3rd fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in Manila/Philippines, Jeff Smith defends his title on points, in 11 rounds, against Karriem Allah/USA, aka Karriem Abdallah. This game is widely broadcast on television. The title holder wins by a split decision, Allah winning the first rounds and Smith imposing himself towards the end of the battle.

May 25th 1976 : Jeff Smith def Arno Koschnik (Koschik)/Germany, in Paris, at the Palais des Sports, during an evening in which Bill Wallace and Isaiah Duenas also defend their title. Jeff Smith earns on points in 3 rounds, having dropped his opponent 6 times on the ground.

August 2nd 1976 : Jeff Smith def Wally Slocki, on points, by a split decision, at the Battle of Atlanta.

Jeff Smith vs. Wally Slocki in Atlanta, 2nd fight.

1977 : Jeff Smith beats Keith Haflick, on points, in Charlotte/NC.

05.21.1977 : Jeff Smith def Jim Horsley.

05.22.1978 : Jeff Smith beats Dominique Valera/France on points, in 9 rounds, in Paris. Dominique Valera, former champion Traditional Karate, practices full-contact since 1975, following his disqualification at the WUKO World Championships in Long Beach. The fighters are wearing boxing gloves and no more full-contact gloves.

Jeff Smith (right) wins against Dominique Valera

00.11.1979 : Jeff Smith def Carl Beamon, on points in seven rounds, in their first battle, for the title.

1979 : Dan Macaruso, brown belt at this time, but wearing a black belt during the fight, beats Jeff Smith, for the title, on points in 12 rounds, via a split decision. Video of the fight : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAwDhf-izM8

Macaruso will never give a rematch to Jeff Smith. Macaruso will beat Dominique Valera (ko 6), Dale Michaud (ko 1) and Carl Beamon. From 1982 to 1985, Macaruso disputes also boxing fights (8 wins, 3 losses, from 1982 to 1985).

1980 : Jeff Smith beats Mark Bunell, in Orlando, ko3. Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl6sktTovq0&feature=related

1980 : Jeff Smith beats Carl Beamon by tko 3, for the title of US light heavyweights, during the 2nd fight. Carl Beamon is 40 years old and has a record of 20 wins, 5 defeats. Excerpt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEPS5lniRSI

1980 : Jeff Smith beats Steve Krowell, by ko 3, at the Star Challenge.

00.00.0000 : Jeff Smith has a fight against Kerry Roop ?

Record : 20 victories - 1 defeat ? According to the July 1981 Kick-Illustrated issue, Jeff Smith has a record of 21 wins, 1 defeat, 7 ko.

He defends his title of World Champion 7 times .

Conclusions :

Currently, Jeff Smith is announced as a 9th Dan Taekwondo black belt. He teaches this Martial Art in the USA.

We do not know of a book, video or published about him.

Two videos of his last two fights mentioned above are available on You Tube. Jeff Smith had a tremendous stamina. It has been noted that Jeff Smith is relatively slow and give many blows, donated with full power, in order to put his opponent ko. From that certainly comes the second part of his nickname "DC Bomber", the capital Washington/DC is the raison for the first part. .

Bill Wallace : traditional karate and full-contact

Introduction:

As with all other articles of this blog, we sorely lack of reliable sources on the Bill Wallace's career. Our sources are based on his book [1], and "The Original Martial Arts Encyclopedia" of John Corcoran, and "The Official History of Karate in America" of Al Weiss, old issues of karate magazines, and on various websites, including the history of the USA Karate, Usadojo. Com [2].

Bill Wallace was born on 1st December 1945 in the USA, and measures 5ft 10 inch, or about 178 cm, with a weight of about 72 to 75 kg.

He learned Shorin Ryu Karate, since 1966, when it was incorporated in the US Air Force. He received his black belt in a year. Previously, he practiced judo, but stops after a serious injury to the ligaments of his right knee. His injury prevents him from using his right leg. Now practicing Karate, Bill Wallace uses only his left leg.

Traditional Karate and Professional Karate:

1968 :

In 1968, in Chicago, for a team competition, Bill Wallace (Midwest) beats Joe Hayes and Steve Sanders.

Probably the 10.04.1968, at the Mid-East Karate Grand Championships, Bill Wallace fights against Ernie Lieb and wins probably the Grand Champion title.

1969 :

Karate pro. 03.09.1969. West-Coast vs East Coast. Bill Wallace has won with the West-Coast.

04.12.1969. Bill Wallace wins the Salt-Lake-City World Championship.

06.15.1969. During the Grand Nationals Karate Championship, Bill Wallace beats Wally Slock, and Victor Moore, and then lost against Artis Simmons, in the penultimate fight for the Grand Champion.

10.11.1969. During the Mid-East National Karate Grand Championships, Bill Wallace lost to Glenn Keeney. Wallace had won the title in 1968.

In 1969, Bill Wallace takes part to the fights between Hawaii and the Mainland, with this last team. He has 3 fights. He loses one against Okuba via disqualification and win one against Minoku.

1970 :

01.25.1970. Bill Wallace finishes 3rd at the US Karate Championships, in the middleweights, losing against Fred Wren and Larry Mosig.

In 1970, Victor Moore beats him for the USKA First World Professional Championship.

1st fight with Joe Lewis. 06.06/07 1970 : USKA Grand Nationals. Joe Lewis beats first Victor Moore. Bill Wallace beats Mike Posey and Victor Moore. Joe Lewis (who defends his 1968 and 1969 titles) meets Bill Wallace for the Grand Champion. They had never fought together. The two fighters are wary during the first round. At the end of the 3 rounds, extra-time is decided. Wallace wins the battle, with a back fist.

1971 :

Bill Wallace wins the US Championships, and beats Skipper Mullins.

He wins the USKA Grand National in 1971, and beats Ken Knudson.

He wins also the Top Ten Nationals.

1972 :

1972. Pasaryu Taekwondo Karate Championships. Mike Warren beats Bill Wallace.

2nd fight with Joe Lewis. For the 1972 USKA Grand National Grand Champion, Bill Wallace beats Joe Lewis during the overtime. Before this fight, Bill Wallace beats Glenn Keeney.

Bill Wallace (left) and Joe Lewis, USKA Grand National 1972

In 1972, in New Orleans, he meets Japan champion and beats him by a back kick, having taken a step aside to avoid him.

1973 :

In 1973, he won the United States Karate Championships. He beats Kirby Fugate in the semi-finals, 3-0.

In the final, he met Butin, who had already lost to Wallace in 1971. They end the regular time at 2 keys to 2. In extensions, Butin is hit by a kick circular.

During the preliminaries of the Grand Championship, Wallace meets Bob Dunek. The latter was qualified for entry, holding the title. Bill Wallace wins in extra time. In finals, Wallace beats Kurban with a kick.

At the 1973 Top Ten, Bill Wallace beats Pat Worley, but is injured. Worley goes on in the tournament.

Karate pro. 05.31.1973, US Pro Am at Ocean City. Jeff Smiths beats Bill Wallace. Wallace has beaten Mike Pfefferstein. Video of the fight : http://www.youtube.com/user/BandoBob1#p/u/3/TXCYZEbF1jU

08.18.1973. During the New Orleans Open Karate Championships, Bill Wallace beats Ernest Smith and Joe Corley and win the Grand Championships.

09.23.1973, during the Tournament of the Century, in Chicago, he wins with the US Team against the Midwest, in the finals, against Bob Harris.

Karate pro. In 1973, at the Battle of Atlanta, Bill Wallace beats first Andy Selcer and Darnell Garcia. Wallace lost to Howard Jackson in the semi finals, and was fourth at the end. Andy Selcer has explained us, that it was a "tournament of champions" hosted at the Battle of Atlanta. Andy Selcer won his place by virtue of his wins at the Battle of Atlanta. Bill Wallace was automatically qualified for this tournament of champions. and was fresh. Thank you to Andy Selcer for the details.

1974 :

In 1974, at the Third Annual Western United States National Karate Championships, Bill Wallace beats first Batie, then Shelton Parker in the finals.

Here is an excerpt from a fight Karate traditional http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niJInl0d5sw

04.20.1974. Karate pro. At the Battle of Atlanta, Bill Wallace beats Daniel Richer by 2-1, before losing to Mike Warren.

Karate pro. On May 17th 1974, in Berlin, is held the first European Championship Karate Business. Various European fighters are selected for the PKA World Championships in Los Angeles. At the end of the day, fights are taking place between the Europeans to the Americans. Bill Wallace beats Bernd Grothe, 5 / 0. Grothe had beaten Wolfgang Holtkemper / Dusseldorf, in the Europeans tournament.

06.15-16.1974. USKA Grand-Nationals. Flem Evans beats Bill Wallace.

07.27.1974. Top Ten Nationals in St-Louis. Bill Wallace beat Flems Evans, 6-2. Flem Evans will win the USKA in 1975 and 1976. Thank you to Flem Evans for his informations.

Full-Contact :

On Sept. 14th 1974, at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, during the first World Championships of full-contact, organized by the PKA, Bill Wallace has two matches. In the semi-finals, he beat Daniel Richer, by TKO in the 3rd round.

In the final, he beats the German Bernd Grothe in 2 rounds and became world champion in the middleweights. Here the two fights : http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=mXRf20idwbY. That evening, Joe Lewis and Jeff Smith win the title of World Champion of heavyweights and light-heavyweights.

In 1975, he became the first world champion to defend his title, beating Joe Corley at the "Battle of Atlanta", by ko in the 9th round.

Bill Wallace (right) and Joe Corley (1975)

In 1975, Bill Wallace makes an "exhibition" with Dominique Valera, Traditional Karate champion, in Berlin.

In 1976, in Paris, at a meeting between USA and Europe, he beats Dieter Herdel, by ko in the 1st round. Video of the fight : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d4iCH3b0Us

He defended his title as mentioned below. Here a short video of his fight vs Ray McCallum : http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=AAfXRoY1r64.

In June 1980, he defends for the last time his title against Bill Biggs, he beats him on points in 12 rounds.

On October 3rd, 1981, Bill Wallace comes out of retirement and win a three-rounder against John Shields, during the Battle of Atlanta.

Thereafter, Bill Wallace makes numerous demonstrations, both against Joe Lewis, Dominica Valera as other fighters.

Record :

Full-Contact:
09.14.1974 Daniel Richer w ko 3 Los Angeles
09.14.1974 Bernd Grothe w ko 2 Los Angeles
05.03.1975 Joe Corley w ko 9 Atlanta
03.13.1976 Jim Echollas w ko 2 Las Vegas
05.25.1976 Dieter Herdel w ko 1 Paris
05.29.1976 Daniel Richer w ko 3 Toronto
10.01.1976 Gary Edens w p 9 Los Angeles
04.23.1977 Blinky Rodriguez w p 9 Las Vegas
05.21.1977 Ron Thiveridge w tko 6 Providence
09.10.1977 Herb Thompson, w tko 2, Miami
10.08.1977 Pat Worley w ko 2 Indianapolis
11.28.1977 Burnis White w p 9 Honolulu
03.11.1978 Emilio Narvaez w p 9 Providence
04.08.1978 Glen Mehlmen w p 7 Miami
06.05.1978 Ralph Hollett w p 7 Nova Scotia
07.18.1978 Daryl Tyler w ko 6 Monaco
02.08.1980 Steve Mackey w p 5 Palm Beach
03.01.1980 Ray McCallum, w p 5 Oklahoma City
05.24.1980 Tom Georgiades w ko 2 Denver
06.15.1980 Bob (Bill) Biggs w p 12 Anderson
10.03.1981 John Shields w p 3, Atlanta

Total 23 fights, 23 wins (21 fights, 21 wins, 11 ko, according to "The Original Martial Arts Encyclopedia").

A leg really very flexible.

Conclusions :

Many videos of Bill Wallace's fights are available on the Internet. He used mostly his left leg, with great flexibility and a tremendous speed. His nickname is "Superfoot". Moreover, he was able to use fists very efficiently, in series.

[1] The Best Of Bill Wallace, Jon Thibault, editor Raymon Horwitz, Ohara Publications Inc. U.S. (April 2005)

[2] http://www.usadojo.com/articles/history-karate-america.htm

Joe Lewis (1st part) : traditional and pro karate

Introduction :

This article is based on the Joe Lewis's book "Joe Lewis and his American Karate Systems" [1], the various sources available on the Internet, old issues of karate magazines, the books "The Official History of Karate in America" of Al Weiss and "The Original Martial Arts Encyclopedia" of John Corcoran, as well as Chuck Norris and Bill Wallace's books. Unfortunately, the possibility of verification of the data is very limited, except by simple comparison. We take your attention to the website Usadojo.com and his excellent article about the history of the USA Karate. [2]

Joe Lewis was born March 7th 1944, in the USA. Some sources cited him as 6ft.2inch. and 210 lbs, or about 187 cm and 92 kg. It should be noted that the images showing him with his opponents seem rather to demonstrate that he is about 180 cm.

Traditional Karate :

Joe Lewis gets his black belt in Karate (Shorin-Ryu style), only after 7 months, with training in Okinawa and Vietnam, where he was hired as a Marine. He participates in the championships of Okinawa in 1964, after only three months of training. He was disqualified during the match for first place brown belt and eventually won the third place.

1966 :

05.07.1966 Joe Lewis returned to the USA and won the first tournament in which he participated, the "US Nationals" organized by Jhoon Rhee. Lewis does Karate only since 22 months. He mostly uses his kick left, and later wins in the finals against LaPuppet, 2 - 0. He beats his 7 opponents, before also winning the titles for Kata and the title of Grand Champion (all categories).

It should be noted that at that time, in the USA, the titles were awarded by the organizers of the tournament with an obvious lack of a federation, effectively managing the activities of the sport. It is therefore quite difficult to list in details the results. The history of these tournaments is the subject of an article (Tournaments and Promoters).

07.31.1966. Still in the Marines, Joe Lewis loses against Allen Steen, for the Finals of the Heavyweights, during the "Internationals Karate Championships" in Long Beach., video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAP4Y987Ibo Steen also beats Chuck Norris at the same tournament, for the Grand-Champion.

That same year, he won the title of the World Karate Championships, version of Chicago and Northwest Karate Championships in Tacoma/Washington.

1967 :

05.19.1967, during the California State Karate Championship, Joe Lewis had pulled a muscle in his leg. In the heavyweights finals, he loses on points against Ralph Castellanos (Kenpo). Lewis also fell to the ground several times because his pulled muscle. The July 1967 Black Belt magazine states that the decision of the judges was first a tie and the final result was very questionable.

06.24.1967, during the Henry Cho tournament at Madison Square Garden, Frank Hargrove meet Joe Lewis in the finals. At first, Hargrove dominates his opponent. Two kicks aside affect Hargrove and Lewis won the fight.

1st fight with Chuck-Norris. Black Belt June 1967. At the beginning of 1967, during the "Tournament of Champions" organized by Henry Cho, Chuck Norris beats Leon Wallace, 42 years, with a judo throw, ippon seoi-nage. Norris loses one of his fight, against Bob Engle.

Chuck Norris meets Joe Lewis. Lewis out of the playing surface, comes back, his guard only at the half-ready for an instant. Chuck Norris sees the opening and drills a spinning back kick to Lewis's face. Norris wins the fight. Chuck Norris wins against Skipper Mullins. Lewis wins against LaSalle, Skipper Mullins and Bob Engle. Chuck Norris wins the Grand Champion, with 4 victories for 1 loss, as Joe Lewis.

In 1967, for the "Nationals Jhoon Rhee", Lewis has to go through the playoffs, because he is not the title holder. Lewis beats first Mitchell Bobrow, only 16 years old, and John Wooley in the finals.

2nd fight with Chuck Norris. At the beginning of 1967, Norris beats again Lewis in the All American Karate Championship in New York. In the Grand Champion finals, in one encounter, Norris let go with a side kick. It is the only point scored in the fight in the opinion of the officials (Black Belt in October 1967).

In 1967, at the Pacific Coast Invitational Karate Tourney, Joe Lewis eliminates Daryle Kelbar. The lightweight Ron Marchini beats Lewis with a back kick after blocking a side kick. For the second place, Ralph Castallanos beats Joe Lewis with two punches to the midsection, including one countering Lewis' side kick. Marchini wins the title and Lewis finishes 3rd. (Black-Belt nov 1967).

3rd fight with Chuck Norris. 06.29/30.1967. From November 1967 Black Belt issue. For the Internationals in 1967, Chuck Norris beats first Victor Moore by 2 to 1. He still beats Arnold Urquidez for the middleweights finals. Joe Lewis beats George Castellanos by 2 to 1 and Jim Harrison, by 2 to 1, as well. For the heavyweight finals, Lewis beats Robert Noel, also by 2 to 1.

For the Grand Champion, Chuck Norris beats Steve Sanders by 2 to 1 and Lewis beats Allen Steen, with two side-kicks. Chuck Norris has already beaten twice Lewis in 1967, by standing in front of him, before moving to check his legs. Norris decides this time to move and wait to counter Lewis. Norris wins the first point with a back punch. Lewis attacks with a side-kick and Norris steps to the side, before and lands a reverse punch. Norris wins the battle. At this point, Chuck Norris leads by 3 wins to 0, against Joe Lewis.

3rd fight. Chuck Norris, left, beats Joe Lewis during the 1967 Internationals

1968 :

4th fight with Chuck Norris. Joe Lewis took his revenge in 1968 with a victory against Chuck Norris, with a punch in the plexus, at the Allan Steen Tournament in Dallas.

Professional Karate :

Professional Karate appeared in 1967. Blows were more or less fully delivered, without protection. In addition, competitors may be paid. It should be noted that the organization of meetings is not governed by any federation. The fighters do not hesitate to draw both traditional Karate and professionally. For this article, every pro tournament will be noted as Karate pro.

Karate pro. East-Coast vs West Coast. 02.04.1968, at the Manhattan Center in New York, during a tournament organized by Aaron Banks, the team of the East Coast beats the West Coast team. The winning team, coached by Ed Parker, is represented by Joe Lewis, Steve Sanders, Chuck Norris, and Jerry Taylor. The team from the East, coached by Banks, is represented by Thomas LaPuppet, Joe Hayes, Kazuyoshi Tanaka and Louis Delgado. 3,800 spectators were present at the Manhattan Center. Lewis wins against LaPuppet with a final side-kick and wins also against Louis Delgado. In the same tournament, Delgado beats Norris, Jerry Taylor beats Joseph Hayes, Norris beats LaPuppet, Tanaka beats Sanders and Taylor beat s Tanaka. These could be traditional Karate.

Karate pro. In February 1968, the first "World Professional Karate Championships" (WPKC), was held in Kansas City by Jim Harrison, two days after the US's Allen Steen Championships in Dallas. Only six participants were present, Joe Lewis, Bob Wall, Skipper Mullins, J. Pat Burleson, David Moon, and Fred Wren. They are fighting with contact, unprotected. Several combatants were injured or must leave. Lewis won the title and received the sum of one dollar. Lewis beats Fred Wred and David Moon.

05.25.1968. Nationals, Joe Lewis beats Mitchell Bobrow and during the Global Tae Gyun Championships, Mitchell Bobrow beats Joe Lewis, the same year.

In 1968, at the Tacoma First Annual Tournament of Champions, Joe Lewis beats Paul Pelela during the semi-finals of the heavyweights. Lewis had lost against Pelela a few months before. Lewis beats also Jim Harrison on points. Lewis beats Artis Simmons for the title of Grand Champion. Black Belt in October 1968.

In 1968, in Sacramento/California, a tournament takes place between a Korea team and the USA. Joe Lewis and Ron Marchini are part of the American team. Lewis def Ju Kim Hum, after a violent and unfair fight. Marchini also meets Ju Hum Kim and also wins after a bloody match for Marchini's face. Lewis vs Byung (Byong) Yu, Captain of the Korean team, is violent and Lewis appears to have won. The U.S. wins by 8 victories to 7 defeats (Black Belt November 1968).

In 1968, in Philadelphia, Bobrow, 17 years old, beats Joe Lewis, at the Tae Gyun Tourney. Joe Lewis was the winner at the end of the fight, but an overtime has been decided, during which Mitchell Bobrow beats his opponent. Bobrow loses in the finals to Dutcher (Black Belt January 1969).

Karate pro. In 1968, Aaron Banks organizes the "Orient vs US" tournament. Joe Lewis lost against N. Tanaka, from Shotokan, and living in the USA. According to the journal "Black Belt" from dec 1968, Joe Lewis was penalized for violent banned blows and had a bad conduct on the canvas. In the same tournament, Joe Hayes beats Bob Chin, a kung-fu man. Dwight "Hawk" Frazier beats Shoen, a Bando style player. Shigeru Numano, Gensei-Ryu style, beats Luis Delgado. Ron Marchini beats Hoy Lee, Bando style. Chuck Norris beats Theodore Wong, Shotokan. US team wins against Orient. The audience had a bad attitude against the Orient Team.

08.03/04.1968 Internationals, Joe Lewis was disqualified for having hurt his opponent.

Karate pro. 08.26.1968, Joe Lewis takes part in the Fair's World Karate Championships in San Antonio/Texas. This tournament is organized by Robert Trias. The winner wins USD 500 and the runner-up USD 250. Among others, Bob Wall, Jim Harrison, Fred Wren, Shelton Parker and Dirk Mossig are present. Joe Lewis beats first George Smith. In the finals, Victor Moore scores first with a Shuto. Lewis sends a reverse punch to the Moore's head. Moore wins the battle with a right followed by a roundhouse punch.

Karate pro. Also in 1968, the First Pro Tournament takes place in front of 850 spectators in Dallas. In the heavyweights, Joe Lewis fights vs Larry Whitner. Thereafter, he meets Phil Ola. An extra time with sudden death is decided and Joe Lewis wins the fight and USD 500 .--. For the Grand Championships, Lewis meets Mullins in 3 rounds of 2 minutes. Lewis wins by 3-0 and gains a reported prime of USD 500 .--.

Karate pro. World Professional Karate Championship. The following information is drawn from May 1969 Black Belt issue. This professional karate meeting is organized by Aaron Banks on November 24th 1968. It takes place at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. There is possibly 3 rounds per fights.

David Moon, Texas, def Canadian Wally Slocki, by 39 to 38. Kazuyoshi Tanaka of Japan meets Skipper Mullins, for the lightweights world title. Mullins dominates the Japanese and win by 91 to 66.

Chuck Norris wants to take revenge, facing Louis Delgado, his defeat collected the year before, during the encounter between West Coast and East Coast. Delgado is more than 10 years younger than his opponent. Norris sends Delgado to the canvas, with a punch, in the first round. In the second, Delgado sends his opponent to the canvas, with a kick in the mouth. The fight resumed so fierce and in the end, Chuck Norris wins by 101 to 93. According to other versions, Delgado would have suffered from a broken arm.

Mike Stone dominates widely against Bob Taiani, alias Tara Takayuki. At a certain point, the doctor finds that Mike Stone has broken his ankle. Despite this, the game resumed and Stone wins by 93 to 70.

Joe Lewis, presented as the "Bad-Boy from Karate" in the journal Black Belt, meets Victor Moore. Both fighters, dressed in black, use many kicks. Joe Lewis is cut above the eye. In the end, the crowd applauds the fighters and Lewis wins by 84 to 66. Each winner would have earned U.S. $ 600 .--. Only Chuck Norris would have defended his title the following year, against an unknown opponent.

Victor Moore (left) loses vs Joe Lewis

Something is surprising. In this article, the name "World Championships" is used only once, and it concerns only the battle between Tanaka and Mullins. A question remains. When this tournament became a World Championship for all participants, as seems to show the various current enrolment in records. In the september and october Black-Belt calendars, tournament had the name 1st Professional Karate Matches, and changed name the next month.

1969 :

Karate pro. 10.05.1969. During the National Karate Championships organized by Jhoon Rhee in Washington, Lewis beats first George Thanos, 17 years old, then Hargrove, before meeting Biley Hawkins in the semi-finals. In the heavyweights finals, Joe Lewis beats Robert Fowler. For the Grand Championships, Joe Lewis beats Bill Keefer, in 4 rounds of 2 minutes, using many side-kicks (Black Belt sept. 1969).

In 1969, maybe during the Internationals, Joe Lewis beats Steve Sanders (Karate Illustrated of September 1974 cites such a meeting in 1971 ?). Sanders would have been stolen by the judges who refused to give him the points he deserved. Sanders, later named himself Sijo Steve Muhammad, created the BKF (Black Karate Federation), in order to defend his black practitioners. This fact has relationships with racial tensions of the time in the USA, particularly in sport (see Muhammad Ali or black American athletes at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City).

In 1969, during the USKA Grand Nationals in Kansas City, Joe Lewis beats first Dirk Mosig and Vic Moore. The bout turned into a brawl and the referee needed help of other karatekas to separate them. The referee is changed. Lewis won. He beats Artis Simmons for the Grand Championship.

1970 :

Karate pro. The full contact match between Joe Lewis and Greg Baines, cited below, takes place on January 17th 1970, in Los Angeles, during the 1st USA Pro Team Karate Championships. The West Coast team, composed of Lewis, Mike Stone, Bob Wall, Chuck Norris and Skipper Mullins wins. Joe Lewis beats Chuck Lovins (Chuck Lemmon ?) in traditional, before his match with KO, against Greg Baines. Always in traditional, for the last fight of his career, Chuck Norris beats Al Dacascos. Skipper Mullins beats Walter Mattson and Bob Wall lost to Billy Watson.

Karate pro. 1970 : the Battle of Atlanta, Joe Lewis beats Mitchell Bobrow, for the title and Joe Hayes for the Grand Champion. Lewis received $ 1,000 .--.

1970 : Southwest US Open in Atlanta. Joe Lewis beats Gaylord Cleveland.

1st fight with Bill Wallace. 06.06/07 1970 : USKA Grand Nationals. Joe Lewis beats first Victor Moore. Joe Lewis (who defends his 1968 and 1969 titles) meets Bill Wallace for the Grand Champion. They had never fought together. The two fighters are wary during the first round. At the end of the 3 rounds, extra-time is decided. Wallace wins the battle, with a back fist.

1st fight with Bill Wallace in 1970, Black Belt december 1970

August 1st and 2nd 1970 : Joe Lewis beats Byong Yu for the Grand Championship of the Ed Parker's Internationals. The Korean lost a deciding point for disrespect.

During 1970 and 1971, Joe Lewis will fight in kick-boxing (see second article).

1971 :

Joe Lewis maybe wins the Ed Parker's Internationals Grand Champion, against Steve Sanders. We have no further information about this tournament.

John Natividad beats Joe Lewis 2-1, for the All Star Black Belt Team, in Los-Angeles, according to the october 1972 Black-Belt Magazine issue.

1972 :

Joe Lewis lost the title to the Internationals in Long Beach, organized by Ed Parker in 1972, facing Darnell Garcia, by 2 to 3, after having received a penalty for contact. Before that fight, Lewis wins versus Tom Kelly, by 2 to 0.

2nd fight will Bill Wallace. In 1972, he loses against Bill Wallace, for the USKA Grand Champion, during the overtime. Previously, Joe Lewis beats Dennis Gotcher and Jerry Pidddington for the heavyweights division.

2nd fight with Bill Wallace

Come-Back in 1974 :

The Joe Lewis's come-back, after a year 1973 without a tournament, must be understood as a combination of traditional and professional karate.

In the early 1974, at the Florida State Championships, Joe Lewis takes part in an full-contact exhibition, with Safe-T kick and punch gears, with Herbie Thompson. Thompson abruptly left the ring, before the end of the five minutes.

At the beginning of May 1974, Joe Lewis loses against Charles Curry, in New York, during the Hidy Ochiai's National Karate Classic. Charles Curry lost to Everett Eddy, who wins the Grand Championships.

This paragraph is based on the September 1974, Karate Illustrated issue. On May, the 11th and 12th, 1974, Joe Lewis participates in a tournament, organized by Eugene Forte, founder of the Pro/Am World Association of Karate, or PAWAK. USD 10,000 .-- and a new Lincoln Continental are promised to the winner, making it the most lucrative tournament in history.

Joe Lewis def Harvey 2-1, Smiley Urquidez 3-0, Benny Urquidez 4-1, then Cecil Peoples by 2 to 1. In finals, he met veteran Steve Sanders, he had already beaten in 1971, during the Internationals. At the end of the scheduled time, the fighters are 1 to 1. At the end of the extra time, Lewis wins by 4 to 3.

At the end of this tournament very badly organized, fighters have found that their checks were post dated and that the car had been taken over by the salesman, because it was still unpaid. Two weeks later, the checks were returned, for insufficient funds.

Joe Lewis vs Steve Sanders, Grand Champion Title, 1974.

The two previous tournaments were a preparation for the trip to Europe (see below), which itself was a preparation for the first tournament of full-contact in September 1974.

Karate pro. On May 17th 1974, in Berlin, is held the first European Championship Pro Karate. Various European fighters are selected for Los Angeles. At the end of the day, the Europeans meet the Americans. Joe Lewis def Budimir Vejnovic by 5/0, winner of the European light-heavyweights.

Ed Daniel, Lewis's kick-boxing opponent in 1970, speaks about a karate fight between himself and Joe Lewis, on the 07.19.1974, at the Karate Olympics, in Houston. Joe Lewis has won and has also beaten Jim Butin, for the heavyweight. The fighters were wearing Safe-T protections. Thank you to Ian McGeachy and Steve Van Dien for this information.

Karate pro. 07.27.1974, Joe Lewis loses against Everett Eddy by 4-6, Top Ten Nationals Professional Karate.

Lewis won 30 major titles during his career. He is the only one to have won 4 titles of Grand Champion for the US National Karate Championships (1966-69) and 3 titles of Grand Champion for the International Karate Championships (1969-71). The following are excerpts from his battles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1ozpqOUyBU

Conclusions :

Many videos about Joe Lewis' fights are available on the Internet. In addition, a video is sold, "Joe Lewis American Fighting Legend" [3], with very short excerpts from his fights.

In traditional Karate, he fought in a static way, with a low guard and a side kick.

The iconography is important. However, no site provides an exhaustive list of his fights.

The Joe Lewis's official site makes his personal glory, paints a laudatory career, which excludes any objectivity [4]. This site states that Joe Lewis holds now a black belt 10th dan, and invented a style named Joe Lewis Fighting System. Joe Lewis is quoted as "the greatest fighter of all time", as that would have been awarded by Bruce Lee, or other, depending on the versions.

Record :

It is very difficult to establish with certainty a record for Joe Lewis. According to the various elements, the fights following can be mentioned :

1966 US NAT BLACK BELT CHAMPIONSHIP JOHN RHEE
Lewis wins the tournament and the kata
31.07.1966 INTERNATIONALS KARATE CHAMPIONSHIP ED PARKER
Lewis lost against Allen Steen

1967 HENRI CHO'S TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Chuck Norris beats Joe Lewis for the Grand Champion
1967 ALL AMERICAN KARATE CHAMPIONSHIPS NY
Chuck Norris beat sJoe Lewis for the Grand Champion
1967 US NAT BLACK BELT CHAMPIONSHIP JOHN RHEE WASHINGTON
Lewis beats John Wooley and Mitchell Bobrow
19.05.1967 CALIFORNIA STATE KARATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Lewis loses against Ralph Castellanos in the heavyweights finals
24.06.1967 HENRY CHO TOURNAMENT
Joe Lewis beats Frank Hargrove
29/30.06.1967 INTERNATIONALS
Chuck Norris beats Joe Lewis
1967 PACIFIC COAST INVITATIONAL KARATE TOURNEY
Lewis loses against Ron Marchini and Ralph Castallanos. Lewis finishes 3rd

1968 US CHAMPIONSHIPS BY ALLAN STEEN, DALLAS
Lewis beats Chuck Norris
04.02.1968 EAST-COAST vs WEST-COAST
Joe Lewis beats La Puppet and Louis Delgado
February 1968 WORLD PROFESSIONAL KARATE CHAMPIONSHIPS KANSAS
Joe Lewis beats Fred Wren and David Moon
25.05.1968 NATIONALS
Joe Lewis beats Mitchell Bobrow
1968 TACOMA FIRST ANNUAL TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Lewis beats Artis Simmons
1968 COREE vs USA
Joe Lewis beats Ju Hum Kim
1968 TAE GYUN TOURNEY
Joe Lewis loses against Mitchell Bobrow
13.07.1968 ORIENT vs US
Joe Lewis loses against N. Tanaka
03/04.1968 INTERNATIONALS ED PARKER
Joe Lewis is disqualified
26.08.1968 WORLD'S FAIR KARATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Joe Lewis loses against Victor Moore
1968 PRO TOURNAMENT, DALLAS
Joe Lewis beats Mullins
23/24.11.1968 WORLD PROFESSIONAL KARATE CHAMPIONSHIP NY
Joe Lewis beatsVictor Moore

1969 LONG BEACH INTERNATIONALS ED PARKER
Lewis wins the tournament
1969 KANSAS CITY USKA GRAND NATIONALS
Lewis beats Vic Moore and Artis Simmons for the Grand Champion

17.01.1970 1st USA PRO TEAM KARATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Joe Lewis beats Chuck Lovins
1970 : BATTLE OF ATLANTA
Lewis wins against Mitchell Bobrow in the heavyweights
Lewis wins against Joe Hayes for the Grand Champion
1970 HENRI CHO'S TOURNAMENT N.Y
Lewis wins against Frank Hargrove
1970 JOHN RHEE NATIONAL
Lewis wins against Frank Hargrove
1970 US NATIONALS WASHINGTON/DC
Lewis fights against Joe Hayes
01/02.08.1970 7th ANNUAL INTERNATIONALS LONG BEACH d'Ed Parker
Lewis beats Byong Yu for the Grand Champion
1970 ATLANTA SOUTHWEST US OPEN
Lewis beats Gaylord Cleveland
06./07.06.1970 USKA GRAND NATIONALS
Lewis beats Victor Moore loses against Bill Wallace for the Grand Champion

1971 LONG BEACH INTERNATIONALS ED PARKER
Lewis wins over Steve Sanders for the Grand Champion.

1971 ALL STAR BLACK BELT TEAM

Lewis loses against John Natividad

1972 GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP ED PARKER LONG BEACH
Lewis loses against Darnell Garcia
1972 USKA GRAND CHAMPION

Lewis loses against Bill Wallace

mai 1974 HIDY OCHIAI'S NATIONAL KARATE CLASSIC, NY
Lewis loses against Charles Curry
11/12.05.1974 PRO/AM WORLD ASSOCIATION OF KARATE, PAWAK
Lewis loses against Steve Sanders
17 mai 1974 : PROFESSIONAL KARATE (USA vs EUROPE), BERLIN
Lewis beats Budimir Vejnovic by 5/0
19.07.1974 KARATE OLYMPICS, HOUSTON
Lewis beats Ed Daniel and Jim Butin
27.07.1974 TOP TEN NATIONALS PROFESSIONAL KARATE
Joe Lewis loses against Everett Eddy 4-6

Second part of Joe Lewis's story, about kick-boxing.

[1] Lewis and his American Karate Systems , Joe Lewis, Jerry Beasley, Paladin Press, 1998
[2] http://www.usadojo.com/articles/history-karate-america.htm
[3] 2006, Masters Martial Arts
[4] http://www.joelewisfightingsystems.com/

Chuck Norris : new accurate record

Introduction :

The purpose of this article is to better define the Chuck Norris's career as a karate fighter. Indeed, the versions found mainly on the Internet, do not seem to be reliable sources, in view of their differences. It is not consistent with the detail provided by Chuck Norris, in his autobiography "Against all Odds" [1]. We will set out the facts different from those cited in this book, with "challenged by Chuck Norris."

The problem also concerns the possible participation of Chuck Norris in full-contact fights, the versions on this matter are quite different.

Our sources will be the Chuck Norris's Book, the Joe Lewis's Book (see the article about him), old issues of Black Belt Magazine and the book "The Original Martial Arts Encyclopedia", de John Corcoran.

Details of his career :

Chuck Norris, born March 10th 1940 in the USA, learns martial arts while he is in Korea, during his military service. He has a black belt in Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo. He measures 5ft. 10inch. and weighs 160 pounds, or approximately 178 cm for 72 kg.

Back in the United States, he opened various martial arts schools and founded a style named Chun Kuk Do.

Chuck Norris is participating in his first karate tournament, in Salt Lake City in 1964, where he wins his first two fights, without winning the final trophy. He also loses the Internationals in Long Beach, before winning his first tournament at the "All Stars Tournament" or "International Karate Federation Championships" of Tak Kubota in Los Angeles. He beats then Ron Marchini, for the title. He still wins the championship of California, for the middleweights.

According to other sources, he launched himself into the competition in 1965. He began by losing some battles during his first two tournaments, against Joe Lewis and Allan Steen, as well as three games against Tony Tulleners, one during the "International Karate Championships". This loses are not mentioned by Chuck Norris. Tulleners speaks about his three victories in an interview in the juin 1987 Black-Belt magazine. According to July 1966 Black-Belt magazine Tony Tulleners beats Chuck Norris in the finals of the California State Karate Championships.

1966 :

07.31.1966, at the Ed Parker's Internationals, Chuck Norris beats Skipper Mullins for the Middleweights title, video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SEn76cE9TQ and loses against Allen Steen for the Grand-Champion title, video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMUcQcesihE

10.22.1966, Norris takes part to the Tang Soo Do Invitational Tournament, held in Washington/DC. He loses against John Camanse, in the prelims, in the middleweights division.

1967 :

1st fight with Joe Lewis. Black Belt June 1967. At the beginning of 1967, during the "Tournament of Champions" organized by Henry Cho, Chuck Norris beats Leon Wallace, 42 years, with a judo throw, ippon seoi-nage. Norris loses one of his fight, against Bob Engle.

Chuck Norris meets Joe Lewis. Lewis out of the playing surface, comes back, his guard only at the half-ready for an instant. Chuck Norris sees the opening and drills a spinning back kick to Lewis's face. Norris wins the fight. Chuck Norris wins against Skipper Mullins. Lewis wins against LaSalle, Skipper Mullins and Bob Engle. Chuck Norris wins the Grand Champion, with 4 victories for 1 loss, as Joe Lewis (Black Belt June 1967).

1st fight between Norris and Lewis, June 1967 Black Belt Magazine Cover

2nd fight with Joe Lewis. Also at the beginning of 1967, during the "All American Karate Championships" at the Madison Square Garden, he beats Hiroshi Motoo Nakamura, Japan champion for the middleweights title. He beats Joe Lewis for the title of Grand Champion (all categories). Norris let go with a side kick. It is the only point scored in the fight in the opinion of the officials (Black Belt in October 1967).

2nd fight between Norris and Lewis,october 1967 Black-Belt magazine

Mention is made of a Chuck Norris defeat against Marcos Solar during the "Kim Ki Whang's Tournament" in 1967, for Taekwondo. [2] . This defeat his not mentioned by Chuck Norris. We know indeed nothing of the career of Chuck Norris in Taekwondo.

3rd fight with Joe Lewis. From November 1967 Black Belt issue. For the Internationals in 1967, Chuck Norris beats first Victor Moore by 2 to 1. He still beats Arnold Urquidez for the middleweights finals. Joe Lewis beats George Castellanos by 2 to 1 and Jim Harrison, by 2 to 1, as well. For the heavyweight finals, Lewis beats Robert Noel, also by 2 to 1.

For the Grand Champion, Chuck Norris beats Steve Sanders by 2 to 1 and Lewis beats Allen Steen, with two side-kicks. Chuck Norris has already beaten twice Lewis in 1967, by standing in front of him, before moving to check his legs. Norris decides this time to move and wait to counter Lewis. Norris wins the first point with a back punch. Lewis attacks with a side-kick and Norris steps to the side, before and lands a reverse punch. Norris wins the battle. At this point, Chuck Norris leads by 3 wins to 0, against Joe Lewis.

3rd fight. Chuck Norris, left, beats Joe Lewis during the 1967 Internationals

09.30.1967, Norris wins the American Tang Soo Do Championships. It proves that separate competitions existed in the U.S. for Korean Martial Arts practitioners. He defeats Skipper Mullins for the Grand Champion finals. Shorin-Ryu and Burmese Bando Fighters also take part in these championships (Black Belt March 1968).

1968 :

4th fight with Joe Lewis. In the 1968 US Championships organized by Allen Steen, in Dallas, Norris arrived in the finals and beat Fred Wren, with a broken nose, in a real brawl. Thereafter, he beat Skiper Mullins, before losing to Joe Lewis, for the title of Grand Champion. Joe Lewis took his revenge, with a punch in the plexus.

Chuck Norris has participated in karate tournaments or "professional teams competition", during which blows were given without gloves, but with less control than traditional Karate. This system was established around 1968 in the USA, in order to make points karate most spectacular and effective.

The excellent work of compilation to be viewed on the site DOJO.COM USA [3], describes the history of professional karate.

We mention the major tournaments, with the term Karate pro :

Karate pro : 02.04.1968 : East Coast vs. West Coast Team Championship, New York. Chuck Norris is in the winning team West Coast [11] and lost against Louis Delgado.Video of the fight : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHOGNvQsGBQ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeTNXEXhfD0

03.30/31.1968, during the All American Tournament, organizes by Henry Cho, Chuck Norris, title holder, beats Hawk Frazier, then Carlos Farrell in the finals. Norris does not participate in the Tournament of Champions.

Karate pro : According to Black Belt, Octobre 1968, Chuck Norris has lost a fight against Dave Krieger in 1968, during a tournament between Hawaii and the Mainland. Norris first wins against Del Griffith and Edgar Bataad. Against Krieger, Norris hits first with a spinning back kick. Krieger hits Norris with a front kick. Krieger scores another point and wins the fight.

Karate pro : 07.13.1968 : "Orient vs US" tournament, New-York, by Aaron Banks. Chuck Norris def Theodore Wong, practicing Shotokan, in a match that Norris makes violent, according to the sources at the time, "Black Belt in December 1968". US wins the tournament.

08.03/04.1968, Chuck Norris beats Steve Sanders for the Grand Champion of the Internationals ?

Karate pro : World Professional Karate Championship. The following information is drawn from May 1969 Black Belt issue. This professional karate meeting is organized by Aaron Banks on November 23th or 24th 1968. It takes place at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. There is possibly 3 rounds per fights.

David Moon, Texas, def Canadian Wally Slocki, by 39 to 38. Kazuyoshi Tanaka of Japan meets Skipper Mullins, for the lightweights world title. Mullins dominates the Japanese and win by 91 to 66.

Chuck Norris wants to take revenge, facing Louis Delgado, his defeat collected the year before, during the encounter between West Coast and East Coast. Delgado is more than 10 years younger than his opponent. Norris sends Delgado to the canvas, with a punch, in the first round. In the second, Delgado sends his opponent to the canvas, with a kick in the mouth. The fight resumed so fierce and in the end, Chuck Norris wins by 101 to 93. According to other versions, Delgado would have suffered from a broken arm.

Mike Stone dominates widely against Bob Taiani, alias Tara Takayuki. At a certain point, the doctor finds that Mike Stone has broken his ankle. Despite this, the game resumed and Stone wins by 93 to 70.

Joe Lewis, presented as the "Bad-Boy from Karate" in the journal Black Belt, meets Victor Moore. Both fighters, dressed in black, use many kicks. Joe Lewis is cut above the eye. In the end, the crowd applauds the fighters and Lewis wins by 84 to 66. Each winner would have earned U.S. $ 600 .--. Only Chuck Norris would have defended his title the following year, against an unknown opponent.

Something is surprising. In this article, the name "World Championships" is used only once, and it concerns only the battle between Tanaka and Mullins. A question remains. When this tournament became a World Championship for all participants, as seems to show the various current enrolment in records. It was first announced in the Black Belt calendars in September and October 1968 as the Professional Karate 1st Matches, before changing its name.

It should be noted that the World Champion title is awarded by the organizer of the tournament and mainly to American fighters. The first World Championship organised by the World Federation, the WUKO, dates back to 1970 (Japan). Chuck Norris did not take part in it.

1970 :

Karate pro. January 17th 1970 : Long Beach Sports Arena : US Team Championship : Victory of Chuck Norris (West Team) against Al Dacascos. This is the last battle of Chuck Norris. On the same day, Joe Lewis dispute in the first game KO against Greg Baines.

August 1st and 2nd 1970 : Chuck Norris wins the Korean trophy, during the 7th Annual International in Long Beach, organized by Ed Parker.

1972 :

On Internet are often referred the following fights :

1972 : Draw with Willie Adams for the U.S. Team Championships. The Adams's site mentions that Adams's team foughts against Norris's team. It doesn't mean necessarily the active participation of Norris as a fighter. Address: http://www.isshinryu.nxs.net/Members/Adams.htm

1972: Beats Kenneth Glover, Tournament in Bethesda/MD and beaten by Jami Bailey, UC tournament in Lynchbur/VA. We found no useful information about these possible matches.

Style :

Chuck Norris is described as a fighter having improved the style of karate competition, creating combinations of blows.

He studied with Shito Ryu Fumio Demura, the Shotokan with Hidetaka Nishiyama, Hapkido with Jung Chug, Ju-Jitsu with Al Thomas, Kempo with Ed Parker and wrestling, boxing and judo, with the Gene Bell.

Chuck Norris (right) vs Steve Sanders

No match for full-contact and not World Champion :

Chuck Norris is sometimes cited as having been a champion of full-contact, something he has never been. The error comes from mixing with the term "professional karate".

The full-contact is created in 1974, although karate fights with KO have already taken place since 1970. Norris has already withdrawn from the competition and turns in various films. Irony of history, Chuck Norris is judge and makes an exhibit during the evening of September 14th, 1974, in Los Angeles, when the first titles are awarded to Bill Wallace, Joe Lewis, Isaias Duenas and Jeff Smith.

According to certain sources, Chuck Norris concludes his career on a record of 65 wins 5 losses, all with revenge. This total of losses is not the same as the total mentioned in this article.

Finally, it is often cited as Chuck Norris defended his World Champion Title 6 times , until 1974. No source was found on the subject. The number of defences of his title corresponds to the number of years between 1968 and 1974. According to the John Corcoran's book "The Original Martial Arts Encyclopedia", Chuck Norris retired the 01.17.1970.

Record :

1964

Beats Ron Marchini

in finals Tak Kubatas All Stars
1965

Beats Ron Marchini

Grand Champion of the Winter Nationals (San Jose/California)
1966

Defeated by Tony Tulleners

Finals California State Karate Championships (San-Francisco)
31.07.1966

Beats Skipper Mullins for the Middleweights title and defeated by Allen Steen for the Grand-Champion

Internationals (Long Beach Tournament), organized by Ed Parker
10.22.1966

Defeated by John Camense

Tang Soo Do Invitational Tournament

1966

Winner Winter National Karate Championships (San Jose, CA), organized by Jim Mather
1966

Winner All-Star Championship Tournament (Los Angeles)

1967

Beats Joe Lewis

in the finals Tournament of Champions N.Y.
06.29/30.1967

Beats Hiroshi Nakamura, Japan and beats champion Joe Lewis

for the Grand Champion All American Karate Championships (N.Y.)
09.30.1967

Beats Skipper Mullins

American Tang Soo Do Championships (Stockton, CA)
1967

Karate Middleweight Title (Long Beach, CA)
1967

Beats Arnold Urquidez for the Middleweights title and Joe Lewis for Grand Champion at the Internationals
1968

Beats Fred Wren and Sikpper Mullins and loses against Joe Lewis

US Championships Allan Steens (Dallas)

02.04.1968

Lost against Louis Delgado

East-Coast vs West-Coast Championships (N.Y.)

03.30/31.1968

Beats Hawk Frazier and Carlos Farrell

1968

Lost against Dave Krieger (Hawaii vs US)
1968

Beats Theodore Wong

(Orient vs US) Aaron Banks

08.03/04.1968

Beats Steve Sander

Internationals Ed Parker

11.23/24.1968

Beats Louis Delgado

World Professional Karate Championship (N.Y.)

01.17.1970

Beats Al Dacascos

1st USA pro Team Karate Championships (Long Beach)

08.01./02.1970

Winner of the Korean trophy.
7th Annual Internationals (Long Beach)

1972

Draw with Willie Adams

US Teams Championship ? (see above).
1972

Beats Kenneth Glover

Tournament in Bethesda/MD ? (see above).
1972 Beaten by Jami Bailey

UC tournament in Lynchbur/VA ? (see above).

Lack of video sources :

We know only this video : http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=oj_e-QmZ7Jc and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUAdMVFeRmQ, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz4gkRmSVzE. If you know an other address, please send me it and I will put the link in this blog. An excerpt from the movie Air Force One, in which the actor practices full-contact against Bill Wallace, should not be confused with a real match http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=FEentFNEqZE

Sports iconography seems very low compared to the many photos of the film career of Chuck Norris.

Conclusions :

Official sources lack about karate for this period of time. None federation seems to have managed the results of various tournaments, in which he has participated.

It is impossible to be affirmative on fights and titles record for Chuck Norris. Also, his official website is extremely vague on this issue, mentioning only "… Chuck was a martial arts star, winning many championships including martial arts being a six-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight Karate Champion ... [13]. In his book, Chuck Norris does not speak of these defences of his title. We have found no trace of this title fights.

[1] Against All Odds, My Story, with Ken Abraham, Broadman & Holman Publishers 2004.
[2] http://www.lacancha.com/halloffame.html
[3] http://www.usadojo.com/articles/history-karate-america.htm
[4] http://www.chucknorris.com/html/biog.html