Here's a case of one insanely skilled fighter showing respect to another. Because Bruce Lee really did have ambitions to fight Muhammad Ali at some point in his life - not because he hated the guy or thought himself to be stronger, but because he saw the boxer as a superior force. Lee was known to watch recordings of the great and unrivalled boxer in order to understand his fighting techniques. "Everybody says I must fight Ali someday," Lee said on the subject. "I'm studying every move he makes. I'm getting to know how he thinks and moves." "Look at my hands," he also added. "That's a little Chinese hand. He'd kill me." It's strange to think that even somebody as skilled as Bruce Lee would be scared to fight anybody, let alone have any doubts about the outcome. And yet it's a tribute to Lee as a martial artist that he respected Ali's talents. Sadly, though, we never got to see them fight, and the subject of "Who would win?" is left to kids in the playground all over the world.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.