Joe Lewis

Joe Lewis was an American martial artist, kickboxer and actor who helped establish kickboxing and full contact karate in the United States. Born in Knightdale, North Carolina, he learned Shorin-ryu karate during his time in the Marine Corps and won the U.S. Nationals title from 1966 to 1969. He trained privately with Bruce Lee, and in 1970 he won the first kickboxing bout in North America by knocking out Greg Baines. He defended his United States heavyweight kickboxing title eight times, all by knockout, and in 1974 captured the Professional Karate Association heavyweight full-contact karate title. In 1983, top fighters and promoters voted him the greatest fighter in karate history. His screen credits included Jaguar Lives (1978), Force: Five (1981) and Bloodfight 2: The Deathcage (1989), and he was martial arts coordinator on Circle of Iron (1977). He died in 2012.