Joe Lewis (martial artist)

Joseph Henry Lewis was born on March 7, 1944, in Knightdale, North Carolina. He is of Welsh and Scottish ancestry. In 1962, Lewis enlisted in the US Marine Corps. He was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock, North Carolina from July 20, 1962, to April 12, 1964. He studied Shōrin-ryū Karate with , John Korab, Chinsaku Kinjo, and Seiyu Oyata while stationed in Okinawa between May 21, 1964, and November 29, 1965, earning his black belt in seven months. He was one of the first Marines stationed in Vietnam; there, he met Rocky Graziano. From February 7 to July 14, 1966, he was stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, during which he was released from active duty. Upon returning to the US, he began a winning tournament career. From 1967 to 1968, he studied privately with the influential Wing-Chun kung fu teacher, Jeet Kune Do founder, and Chinese/Hollywood movie legend Bruce Lee. Hong Kong cinema historian Bey Logan says Lewis was the original pick of Bruce Lee for the villain Colt in Way of the Dragon, but that Lee and Lewis either had a falling out or Lewis had a scheduling conflict, and thus Chuck Norris was tapped instead. ==Karate career==

In 1966, with only 22 months of training, Lewis won the grand championship of the first tournament he entered, the U.S. Nationals, promoted by Jhoon Rhee. Lewis defeated seven opponents before defeating Thomas Carroll by a 2–0 decision. Lewis reigned as the U.S. Nationals grand champion from 1966 to 1969. At the 1967 Nationals in Washington, Lewis won the championship by defeating Mitchell Bobrow in the semi-final and beating Frank Hargrove 3–2 in the finals. Previously, Lewis defeated Hargrove in New York City at 'Henry Cho's Karate Tournament'. In 1966, at the Long Beach Internationals, Lewis lost an upset decision to Allen Steen. In 1967, Lewis defeated Chuck Norris's brother Wieland Norris, Steve LaBounty, and Frank Knoll, as well as Frank Hargrove for the third time. In August 1968, Lewis was defeated by Victor Moore at the World's Hemisphere Karate Championships, the second professional karate tournament in history, which took place in San Antonio, Texas and was promoted by Robert Trias and Atlee Chittim. Moore and Lewis split the championship purse of $1,000. The same year, Lewis defeated Louis Delgado, who had beaten Chuck Norris the year before. On November 24, 1968, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, Lewis won Aaron Banks' World Professional Karate Championships by defeating Victor Moore to win the World Heavyweight Title, and was paid $600. In 1970, Lewis lost in an upset to John Natividad at the All-Star Team Championships in Long Beach, California. At the 'Battle of Atlanta', which was promoted by Joe Corley, Joe Lewis defeated Mitchell Bobrow in a closely contested come-from-behind victory for the Heavyweight Championship, and Joe Hayes for the Grand Championship. At Ed Parker's 1972 'International Karate Championships', Darnell Garcia scored an upset victory over Lewis. That same year, at the 1972 Grande Nationals in Memphis Tennessee, Joe Lewis beat Jerry Piddington and won his grande title match in a 1–0 victory. 1974 marked Lewis' final year in tournament karate competition. In May, he lost to Charles Curry in New York at the Hidy Ochiai National Karate Tournament. That same month, Lewis won the PAWAK tournament, which lasted from May 11 to May 12. Lewis scored victories over Frank Harvey, Smiley Urquidez, Benny Urquidez, and Cecil Peoples in the elimination matches, and won the championship with a 4–3 points decision over Steve Sanders. Finally, at Mike Anderson's, 'Top 10 National Professional Karate Tournament', Lewis lost to Everett "Monster Man" Eddy in the finals. In 1983, Lewis was voted by top fighters and promoters as the greatest karate fighter of all time, Lewis was a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he served in the communications field. His military decorations include Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and "Expert" Rifle Badge. He acted in films and on TV, and was briefly married to actress Barbara Leigh. Throughout his life, he continued to give seminars and work in the entertainment industry. ==Kickboxing and full-contact karate career==

Starting in 1967, Lewis began training privately with Bruce Lee and former heavyweight boxing contender Joe Orbillo. In late 1969, promoter Lee Faulkner contacted Lewis to fight in his upcoming United States Karate Championships. By this time, Lewis had retired from point fighting, but agreed to fight if Faulkner would promote a full-contact karate bout with Lewis and an opponent who would fight to the knockout, which Faulkner agreed to. and in 3 rounds in a later rematch. On January 24, 1971, at the 2nd Annual United Nations Open Karate Championships, which was promoted by Aaron Banks, Lewis knocked out Ronnie Barkoot. At another Banks promotion; United States Championship Kickboxing Bouts, Lewis scored a 3rd-round knockout over "Atlas" Jesse King. In total, Lewis defended his United States Heavyweight Kickboxing title with 8 straight knockouts between 1970 and 1971. Lewis was the first kickboxer to be featured in both The Ring boxing magazine and Sports Illustrated. to begin his comeback for a title, Lewis defeated T. Morrison by KO, decisioned Charleton Young and Curtis Crandall, and knocked out Melvin Cole. On April 16, Lewis lost a decision to Tom Hall in an upset. ==Fighting style==

Joe Lewis' main characteristic as a fighter was his strength, which came from weight lifting and collegiate wrestling in his youth. He was considered an intimidating presence in the karate tournament scene due to having both strength and speed. In later years, Joe would be able to replicate some of Bruce Lee's legendary speed feats, such as asking a volunteer to block his punches, which would prove too fast to be blocked. As a karate point fighter, Lewis was famous for his lead side kick, particularly his left. At one point, his response to on-lookers who asked why he only used that technique was "Why not? They can't block it." He also developed a fast back fist punch; if it failed, he would grab his opponent's dogi and use the reverse punch instead. After cross-training in boxing with Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Orbillio and then training Jeet Kune Do with Bruce Lee, Lewis gained a unique view on how to handle distance and closing the gap. Due to his Shōrin-ryū style, Lewis often adopted a bladed, or sideways, stance with his lead arm held low and his rear arm held higher like crab style boxers. Lewis stated that Bruce Lee had learned this stance from him and incorporated it into his movies. and once referred to them as his "main weapon". Thanks to his background as a wrestler and studying of several types of fighting, such as Shōrin-ryū Karate, Okinawan Kenpo, Judo, Jeet Kune Do, Boxing and Tai Chi, Lewis was a well-rounded fighter. == Movie roles ==

Hong Kong cinema historian Bey Logan says Lewis was the original pick of Bruce Lee to play Colt in the 1972 martial-arts action film Way of the Dragon, but as a result of either Lee and Lewis having a falling out or Lewis having a scheduling conflict, Chuck Norris was chosen instead. Joe Lewis co-stars alongside Robin Shou in the 1989 B-movie Bloodfight 2: The Deathcage (戰龍), as Mr. Kent. == Health issues and death ==

Early in July 2011, Lewis was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and was told he would have six to eight weeks to live without surgery. He underwent surgery on July 18 to remove the tumor. Lewis died on the morning of August 31, 2012, at Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, at the age of 68. The cancer had spread to his left shoulder and hip prior to his death. He was buried at Knightdale Baptist Church Cemetery in Knightdale, Wake County, North Carolina. ==Legacy==

Lewis left behind his own system of martial arts teaching; the Joe Lewis American Karate Systems, which focuses on full-contact fighting. Due to his role in developing and promoting the sport's first event in the American continent, Lewis is considered to be the "Father of Kickboxing" in the western world, and has also been called "the man who brought us Full Contact Karate." Black Belt Magazine describes his process of solo training in boxing and combining those techniques with his karate techniques as "the result is the martial sport now known as Kickboxing." His efforts in these fields eventually resulted in the Mixed martial arts competition of today. In the cover story "The Passing of the Torch Legendary Fighter Joe Lewis Grooms His Successors" for the February 1993 issue of Black Belt, Lewis stated that his proteges John and Jim Graden were his choice to carry the torch of his system after his death. == In popular culture ==

Ken Masters from the Street Fighter series was based upon Lewis' likeness and career, both being Americans who learned traditional karate styles in Japan then returned home to become United States champion to worldwide acclaim. Masters' characteristic red uniform and blond hair were patterned after a popular cover in which Joe Lewis appeared sporting that same look. Like how Lewis' personal mixture of karate, boxing and Jeet Kune Do showcases the eclectic approach some American martial artists took towards more traditional martial arts, Masters sports a flashier fighting style than Ryu. The American kickboxer, Joe, from the first Street Fighter game, was also seemingly based on Lewis. Lewis is indirectly referenced in a scene from the 2019 Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood when Bruce Lee (played by Mike Moh) refers to him as "[T]hat white kickboxing a--hole." to differentiate him from the boxer Joe Louis. ==Kickboxing record==