Sugar Ray Leonard: I wanted to do in boxing what Bruce Lee was able to do in karate. Lee was an artist and, like him, I try to get beyond the fundamentals of my sport. I want my fights to be seen as plays.

Birmingham Post, 05-17-2002

When I first met Bruce Lee training under the Seattle Blue Cross Hospital in the parking lot (I think it was a Summer Saturday in 1962), I was struck by his amazing speed and intellectual curiosity. He asked me what I saw when he performed a side kick aimed at my nose.

"A side kick aimed at my nose," I answered in amazement (I had never seen anyone this fast before).

"Watch again," was Bruce's reply.

Again, a kick. Only I noticed something I had not noticed earlier.

"What did you see?" Bruce asked again.

I replied that I had seen two very incredible fast kicks, each aimed precisely after the other in blurring speed. Bruce seemed happy with this answer and then asked me why I wanted to train "Gung Fu." Again, my reply satisfied him and thus began long and valuable training sessions with "Sifu" (I could no longer refer to him as "Bruce"). We trained under the Blue Cross Hospital for awhile, then Chinatown, the University District next to the University of Washington (for a short time), then back to Chinatown. Occasionally, Pat Strong, myself and a few selected others, Charlie Wu (before he was killed in an automobile accident driving that big Cadillac at far too fast the posted speed limits) and Taky Kimura would join Bruce for dinner at Seattle's Tai Tung Restaurant. Bruce never relented from keeping us entertained, amused and instructed. As we walked past two young girls, Bruce would ask me "What color shoes was the girl on the left wearing?" When walking to the restaurant, Bruce would tell us to park two blocks away, for the exercise! When, he said, you visit someone on the 8th floor of a building, get off the elevator on the sixth floor and walk up two flights of stairs, for the exercise! He told us stories of China, of ancient mythologies, of Kung Fu masters.

I visited Taky and Roy Hollingsworth back in 1996 and the school was (and still is) operating with enthusiasm and dedication. Chris Sato runs the Saturday advanced class and I trained three times a week until cracking a rib. Taky, Roy and I often spoke of Bruce and the valuable knowledge that we had accumulated.

For those who knew Bruce Lee, he was the real deal. The only one who comes close is William Cheung who I occasionally visit and participate in his seminars while he is in Melbourne.

unknown friend of Bruce Lee, September 2000

Cahiers: What do you think of Bruce Lee's kung fu?

Lau Kar-Leung (Liu Chia Liang): When we were kids, we knew each other very well. Bruce Lee was passionate about kung fu. It was his life. His contribution was recognized by those of us who were doing kung fu. He introduced it to the whole wide world. But he was missing something. That was the "Wude" (martial arts philosophy) and the "Xiu yang" (self-control). He only knew how to fight. He hit to hurt, for the pleasure of the strikes. He was too much a Westerner. The traditional Chinese courtesy was alien to him. When you watch his movies, the violence and the power of his blows can't be missed. For us, the principle is Dian dao ji zhi (to stop when we hit the opponent, to know how to retrain yourself and slow down the strike at the very moment of the hit). Someone is really strong in kung fu only if he's able to do that. Bruce Lee was limited in his knowledge of martial arts: his kicks and his boxing - that was it. Likewise, his "zhaoshu" (gestures) were also quite limited.

C: Bruce Lee's kung fu was a blending of many techniques.

L K-L: Yes. There were elements derived from Aikido, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Western boxing - all that, with a little of Chinese kung fu. But Bruce Lee was very smart. He applied himself diligently, and when he practiced kung fu, he gave it his all. He was a superb actor. He began to do movies very young.

from Lau Kar Leung interview; Lau acted in Operation Scorpio and Drunken Master II which he also partly directed, and was responsible for directing classics like Jet Li's Shaolin Temple

Bey Logan: Do you think that, had he pursued a fighting career, Bruce Lee would have been a champion?

Chan Wai Man: Oh, yes. He would definitely have been a good fighter. Obviously, fighters like Muhammad Ali were so much bigger and heavier than him, but, pound for pound, I don't think anyone could beat him, either in Hong Kong or internationally. However, I never saw Bruce Lee fight anybody. He didn't need to fight! He was a movie star! He wasn't a bad guy like me! However, he was very strong. He could beat Bolo at arm-wrestling. You know how big Bolo is!

from Chai Wai Man interview