Joe Lewis - Episode 339
Joe Lewis
On this episode, Jeremy talks about an American kickboxing legend, martial arts champion, and actor, Joe Lewis.
Episode 339 - Joe Lewis
For both the returning fans and martial artists, the name Joe Lewis is no stranger because of the times he's been talked about on the show. Whether in the movie screens or in the ring, Joe Lewis is a true legend for the contributions he's done for the martial arts. He's fought toe to toe against Bill Wallace without severing their friendship which attests to their genuine sportsmanship. As an actor, he's done a couple of movies as well. On today's episode, Jeremy shares his personal thoughts about the legendary Joe Lewis. There are many things about Joe Lewis that we didn't know, listen to find out more!
Show Transcript
Introduction
Hello, thank you for coming by. Welcome, this is Whistlekick Martial Arts Radio, episode 339. Today, we're talking about the legendary Joe Lewis.
My name is Jeremy Lesniak. I'm your host for the show, and I'm the founder at Whistlekick. We make great stuff—sparring gear, belts, Olympic or WT-style sparring gear—we just keep rolling out new stuff. You can check out all of it at whistlekick.com, and much of it is available on Amazon.
If you want to find notes for this show or any of our other episodes, including transcripts, photos, videos—a whole bunch of great stuff—you can find that at whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. Our social media is pretty easy; it's @whistlekick, and you can email me directly at jeremy AT whistlekick.com.
Talking About Joe Lewis
Let's talk about Joe Lewis. I've got quite a few pages prepared here, and at the end, I'm kinda gonna go off script and talk about Joe Lewis more from a personal place because he occupies this very interesting space in my life and my training. I'll tell you more in a few minutes after I'm done reading what we've got here.
If there was one person we could regard as the greatest karate fighter, it's probably Joe Lewis. In fact, he was voted twice as the greatest karate fighter of all time. Lewis was an American kickboxer and karate point fighter who won many, many tournaments from 1970 to 1983, during which he earned titles like U.S. Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion, World Heavyweight Full Contact Karate Champion, and United States National Black Belt Kata Champion.
Even the legendary Bruce Lee regarded him as the greatest karate fighter of all time. He's known by many as the "Father of Modern Kickboxing" or the "Father of American Kickboxing." Aside from his kickboxing career, he was also an actor, appearing in nine films, with his last film, *Death Fighter*, released five years after his death in 2017.
Joe Lewis's Early Life and Martial Arts Beginnings
Joseph Henry Lewis was born on March 7, 1944, in Knightdale, North Carolina, where he grew up on a farm. He enlisted in the Marines, with his first duty being stationed at Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point in Havelock, North Carolina, from July 20th, 1962, to April 12th, 1964.
A month later, he was stationed in Okinawa, where he got the chance to study martial arts, particularly Shorin Ryu, with Aizo Shimabukuro, who was his first instructor. He also trained with John Korab and Chinsaku Kinjo, who promoted him to black belt, as well as Seiyu Oyata, the creator of Ryu-te. In just seven months, he earned his black belt.
## Military Service and Introduction to Karate Competitions
Lewis was also one of the thousands of U.S. military personnel sent by President Kennedy into Vietnam. This is where he first met the boxer, Rocky Graziano. Afterward, he was transferred to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
After his release from active duty, he returned to the United States. Lewis received several medals as a Vietnam War veteran, including the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. His superiors recognized his skill in karate, so they urged him to join competitions, though his Japanese masters did not tell him to do so.
The first tournament he entered was Jhoon Rhee's Third National Karate Championships on May 7, 1966, held in Washington, D.C. Lewis easily won match after match, using his now-famous sidekick to finish off his opponents. The referee even asked him why he only used the sidekick, and Lewis's answer was simple: "Because they can't block it." This was Lewis's first tournament win.
Training Under Bruce Lee and Further Success
From 1967 until 1968, Lewis trained privately under Bruce Lee, where he learned the devastating double hook combination that he used to win his later tournaments. Lewis was Lee's first choice to play the role of Colt in the film *The Way of the Dragon*; however, Lewis refused the role, so Chuck Norris was selected instead.
In 1975, Lewis married Barbara Lee, a former American actress and fashion model. Unfortunately, their marriage lasted just two years. Lewis continued to compete until 1983 and participated in three exhibitions through 1991. He was also active in giving seminars after his retirement.
Diagnosis and Passing
In July 2011, Lewis was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, which was operated on the same month. The operation was successful; however, he died a year later, on August 31, 2012, at Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
Lewis's karate career started when he won Jhoon Rhee's Third National Championship in 1966. At that point, he had only trained for 22 months but defeated all of his opponents, who were known to be the best of the best in the United States, including Thomas La Puppet Carroll, who became a member of both the USA Karate Hall of Fame and the Black Belt Hall of Fame. Carroll was the eighth opponent, and Lewis defeated him by a 2-0 decision. Lewis wasn't familiar with the rules of light contact karate, which was the only form of the sport in the U.S. at that time.
Joe Lewis's Competitive Achievements
From 1966 to 1969, Lewis remained the U.S. Nationals Grand Champion. He also defeated Mitchell Bobrow and Frank Hargrove at the 1967 Nationals in Washington. Before that, he had already defeated Hargrove at Henry Cho's Karate Tournament in New York City, where he also defeated Chuck Norris. Lewis was bested by Alan Stein in 1966 at the Long Beach Internationals. The next year, Lewis defeated Waylon Norris, Chuck Norris's younger brother, Steve LaBounty, Frank Knoll, and Frank Hargrove.
The year 1968 was a turning point for Lewis's career. He joined the first "professional karate tournament," namely the First World Professional Karate Championships (WPKC), promoted by Jim Harrison, which was held in Harrison's dojo in Kansas City. Other popular fighters joined as well, including Bob Wall, Skipper Mullins, Pat Burleson, David Moon, and Fred Wren. Lewis won the tournament and was paid one dollar, making him the first professional champion in karate history.
First Professional Karate Tournament and Further Victories
Lewis's next fight was at the 1968 Orient versus U.S. Tournament, promoted by Aaron Banks, where he lost to a Japanese-American named Tanaka. In the same year, he joined the first professional karate tournament held in Dallas, Texas, where he won the championship against Larry Wittner, Phil Ola, and Skipper Mullins. Lewis lost again when he faced Victor Moore at the World Hemisphere Karate Championships in August 1968, held in San Antonio, Texas. The event was promoted by Robert Trias, the creator of the Shuri Ryu style, and the prize money was $1000, which was split between Moore and Lewis.
In the same year, at a different tournament, Lewis got another victory against Lewis Delgado, who had defeated Chuck Norris the year prior. Lewis made a comeback just three months later after his defeat by Victor Moore, at the World Professional Karate Championships held by Aaron Banks on November 24, 1968. Lewis defeated Victor Moore and claimed the World Heavyweight title, along with $600 in prize money.
Two years later, at the All-Star Team Championships in Long Beach, California, Lewis lost again to a fighter named John Natividad. However, he went on to win against Mitchell Bobrow for the Heavyweight Championship and against Joe Hayes for the Grand Championship at the Battle of Atlanta, promoted by Joe Corley.
Continued Success and Setbacks
In 1972, Lewis lost against Darnell Garcia at the International Karate Championships Tournament, made famous by Ed Parker. In the same year, Lewis won against Jerry Pennington at the Grand Nationals held in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1974, Lewis participated in three major tournaments. First, he participated in the Hidy Ochiai National Karate Tournament in May, where he lost to Charles Curry. Just several days later, he competed in the PAWAK Tournament, getting through the elimination matches against Frank Harvey, Smiley Urquidez, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, and Cecil Peoples. Finally, he won against Steve Sanders with a 4-3 decision.
The last of the three tournaments was at the Top 10 National Professional Karate Tournament, promoted by Mike Anderson. He lost against Everett "Monster Man" Eddy in the finals, and this marked the final year of Lewis's karate tournament competition.
The Transition to Kickboxing
Lewis wanted to enhance his skills even further, even though he was already an excellent fighter. Aside from his training in Okinawa and his time with Bruce Lee, he trained with boxing coach Joey Orbillo. In one way or another, these mentors contributed to his belief that martial arts could be more entertaining by being a full-contact sport. He felt that sport was not real, nor valuable unless it was full contact.
In 1969, Lewis got the chance to participate in a full-contact match promoted by Lee Faulkner, namely the United States Karate Championships. Lewis made it clear to Faulkner that he would not participate unless it was full contact, and Faulkner agreed. Lewis fought against Greg Baines, and when they entered the ring, the announcer identified them as boxers and the fight as American kickboxing. This term was also used by *Black Belt* magazine in May 1970. Lewis won the match by knocking Baines out in the second round, and this is where many say kickboxing was born.
Kickboxing Career and Undefeated Record
His next kickboxing match was against "Big Ed" Daniel on June 20, 1970, at the USA Professional Open Karate Championships, promoted by Lee Faulkner and Alan Stein. Lewis defeated Daniel in the second round, despite the latter's size advantage. Daniel was reportedly taken to a hospital afterward due to a brain hemorrhage. They had a rematch, and Lewis was victorious again by knocking Daniel out, this time in three rounds.
Lewis's next match was at the Second Annual United Nations Open Karate Championships, promoted by Aaron Banks on January 24, 1971. He defeated the state champion and 10th Dan Ronnie Barku in a minute and 25 seconds into the first round. Lewis participated again at the United States Championship Kickboxing Bouts, still promoted by Banks. He won against Atlas Jesse King in three rounds by knockout.
Continued Dominance in Kickboxing
Lewis defended his United States Heavyweight Kickboxing title in eight consecutive matches, all resulting in knockouts between 1970 and 1971. His excellent record made him the first kickboxer to be featured in top sports magazines such as *The Ring* and *Sports Illustrated*.
In 1971, Lee Faulkner tried to organize a match between Lewis and a Thai kickboxing champion for a world title match. However, the fight did not materialize for two reasons: first, there were no heavyweights in Asia, with the heaviest Asian fighter weighing only 162 pounds. The fight organizers asked Lewis to lose 10 pounds while the Asian fighter gained 10 pounds. Lewis agreed to this, but he couldn't agree on the payment, which was the second reason. The organizers wanted to pay the Asian champion $3000 for the fight but only offered Lewis $1000. While it was important to Lewis to have that world title, he stuck to his principles and declined the offer.
Retirement and Legacy
Lewis retired by the end of 1971, undefeated in his kickboxing career, with a record of 10-0, all knockouts. He was the undisputed United States Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion.
In 1974, Lewis participated in an all-new Full Contact Karate event in Los Angeles, California, introduced by Mike Anderson. This was where competitors wore foam hand and foot gear, and the fight could end in a knockout. Lewis, being an undisputed champion of heavyweight kickboxing, easily won the PKA (Professional Karate Association) Heavyweight Full Contact Karate title. He knocked out Frank Brodar of Yugoslavia in the second round. In the same evening, Jeff Smith and Bill "Superfoot" Wallace also won in their respective divisions for light heavyweight and middleweight. He was featured in *Black Belt Magazine* Hall of Fame as the 1974 Full Contact Karate Fighter of the Year.
The Transition to Full Contact Karate
Many of you have seen the photo from that night with Joe Lewis, Jeff Smith, and Bill Wallace wearing their Stars & Stripes uniforms—the three of them together. That iconic moment happened during the event where Lewis won the PKA Heavyweight Full Contact Karate title.
On July 27, 1975, Lewis participated in the World Series of Martial Arts Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii. He had just married Barbara Lee two days before. During the match, Lewis was overconfident at first and was even knocked down to the canvas by Ron Clay. However, Lewis took the fight seriously, got back up, and knocked out Clay with a blow to the head. Supposedly, Clay was a purple belt in judo.
In the same competition, Lewis fought against a formidable opponent named Teddy Lemos. Lewis took a blow that hurt his eye. The doctor said he could continue, so he did, but Lewis ultimately lost to Lemos by decision.
The next month, on August 24, 1975, Lewis fought Ross Scott. During the match, allegedly in the third round, Lewis dislocated his shoulder. He was given five minutes to rest, and then the match continued. Lewis received quite a few kicks to the head but blocked most of them. However, Lewis ultimately lost by decision—he won two rounds while Scott had won three, and the others were draws. This loss stripped Lewis of his PKA World Heavyweight Championship title.
### Final Years of Competition and Retirement
After the loss, Lewis took a break from competition and starred in a couple of movies, *Jaguar Lives* in 1978 and *Force: Five* in 1981. Then, in 1983, Lewis made his second comeback. His first match was against Bill Morrison, who had a 10-1 record. Lewis defeated Morrison by knockout, but Morrison reported that he was blackmailed into fighting Lewis by the promoter when he announced he was planning to cancel the fight.
On February 3, 1983, Lewis won on points against Curtis "Cowboy" Crandall, who had a 19-2 record. Lewis then fought against Tom Hall, who had a 13-2-1 record but lost by unanimous decision. Later on, he lost to Mark George Gergantus by decision. Lewis then lost in his match against Kerry Roup for the PKA U.S. Heavyweight title; Lewis suffered an injury above the eye that ultimately stopped the match in the fourth round.
After this series of defeats, Lewis retired. His overall record, combining his careers in both kickboxing and PKA Full Contact Karate, was 17 wins, 4 losses, with 15 of the wins coming by knockout.
Final Exhibition Match and Legacy
In 1990, after several years of retirement, Lewis fought against his best friend Bill Wallace in a kickboxing exhibition match. The match was labeled "Speed versus Power" by a number of promoters and viewers. Wallace won the exhibition match with two judges scoring a tie, while the third favored Wallace. Lewis recalled that he was warned not to go all out, as he had a 30-pound advantage over Bill Wallace, and they remained friends afterward.
Lewis was not only known for his extraordinary power but also for his speed. In his youth, Lewis was a weightlifter and wrestled in college. After he won his first few tournaments, his presence was intimidating to other fighters as they all knew he had both strength and skill. According to Lewis, his training with Bruce Lee taught him "good strong positioning, being able to bridge the gap fast, being explosive off the initial move, and mobility." Overall, Lewis studied the following styles: Shorin Ryu Karate, Kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do, Ryukyu Kempo, Tai Chi Chuan, Judo, and Wrestling. Having knowledge of all these styles made Lewis a well-rounded and formidable fighter.
Joe Lewis's Passing and Enduring Legacy
Joe Lewis was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in July 2011. After a 13-month battle, he passed away on August 31, 2012, at Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. The cancer had already spread to his left shoulder and hip. He was 68 years old. The father of American kickboxing was buried in the Knightdale Baptist Church Cemetery in Knightdale, Wake County, North Carolina.
Lewis's legacy includes a Full Contact Karate system that he left behind. He introduced Full Contact Karate in the USA and was considered the father of modern kickboxing. Some say the character Ken Masters from the popular video game series *Street Fighter* was based on Joe Lewis. The character also visited Japan to study karate and came back to the USA to become a U.S. champion. While this connection isn't confirmed, it's an interesting parallel, and I personally choose to believe it.
Lewis appeared in nine films: *The Wrecking Crew*, *Jaguar Lives*, *Force: Five*, *Zhan Long*, *Mr. X*, *Blood Moon*, *The Cut Off*, *Kill 'Em All*, and the posthumous *Death Fighter*. His legacy in both martial arts and cinema is undeniable.
Personal Reflections
Everything I just read was researched and fact-checked, but I don't know that it fully expresses this man's legacy. I never met Joe Lewis—I was not lucky enough to. However, quite a few people who have been on this show and have become my friends did spend a lot of time with him, and I feel that I've gotten to know who he was through them.
What I find most fascinating is that Joe Lewis, the man, is the person most likely to bring some of these amazing martial artists to tears as they talk about him. I'm not going to name names, but I can think of four people who have been on this show who have come to tears in front of me talking about Joe Lewis.
Now, we've heard some folks get emotional on this show, but what I find fascinating, what I find most expressive of who Joe Lewis was, is the fact that in one sentence, people can talk about how rough he was, how aggressive, how honestly brutal he could be, and yet how much love the way he treated people created. I never tire of hearing the stories about Joe Lewis, whether they're told from Bill Wallace or any of the other folks who have been on the show. If you ever attend a Superfoot seminar with Bill Wallace, or if you have in the past, you know that it's pretty likely he's going to mention Joe Lewis—or as Bill Wallace will refer to him, just "Joe." He'll talk about Joe, and everyone knows who he's talking about. This was his best friend.
As much as we think about Bill Wallace as being the greatest kicker ever, the one person I've heard him talk about in terms of incredible kicks is Joe Lewis's sidekick. So if you hear me getting a little emotional talking about him, especially as I was reading about him passing away, it's because of the empathy I have for these folks that I've gotten to know who knew him.
When I consider what I've done in martial arts when I consider what's happening in Whistlekick, I believe that for the rest of my life, my greatest regret—not that I really had a lot of choice in the matter because I didn't know—but in hindsight, I wish I could've trained with Joe Lewis, even just once at a seminar, even just to meet him so I could put some better context to these things that I've read, to the stories I've heard.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed today's episode. I hope you understood how important this man is to martial arts as we understand it today. The story of his life threads through so many others. I suspect you recognized quite a few of those names—Jhoon Rhee, Ed Parker, Bruce Lee, Bill Wallace, Fred Wren, and a bunch of others. His life weaves through so much of what is important to us as martial artists. We can't let his memory fade.
If you want to check out the transcript because of the multitude of dates and names that I mentioned today, you can find it at whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. You can email me directly at jeremy AT whistlekick.com, and you can find us on social media—we're @whistlekick. I'd love for you to share this episode or maybe leave a review on iTunes or somewhere else. Just help us out—help people find the show, help the show grow, help us make an impact as we reach as many traditional martial artists as we can.
Thank you for your time today, thanks for listening. Until next time, train hard, smile, and have a great day.