Pacquiao Was Inspired by Bruce Lee

On the eve of his fight with Shane Mosley this Saturday US time, The New York Times reports that the Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao was inspired by Bruce Lee.

"The boxing genius of Manny Pacquiao includes feet that belong in Riverdance, calves the size of grapefruits and deceptive power generated from his core. His movement is unorthodox, scattered and perpetual, as if designed by a jazz musician. He creates angles unlike any other fighter, past or present, appearing, disappearing, shifting, striking; on balance, off balance, even off one foot.

"It is this style — part performance art, part technical wizardry, unique to Pacquiao— that defines perhaps the best boxer of his generation. And it started with a videotape of the martial artist who became his idol. It started with Bruce Lee.

"Last month, as Pacquiao molded his style specific to Shane Mosley, his welterweight opponent on Saturday in Las Vegas, he wrapped his hands inside the dressing room at the Wild Card boxing gym here. To explain the way he fights, he settled on three words.

“Like Bruce Lee,” he said.

Bruce Lee Comes To Town

Move over, Mundine! The real Man has come to town. The Man who could stop bullets with a nunchaku. The Man who could move faster than electricity!

[caption id="attachment_768" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Bruce Lee's statue at the Kogarah Town Square."][/caption]

A statue of Bruce Lee in his familiar martial arts pose was unveiled at the Kogarah Town Square yesterday. The statue was presented by the City of Shunde, China, to the City of Kogarah to mark the first anniversary of their Friendship City Agreement.

Among the boys of a certain generation to which I myself belonged, Bruce Lee was bigger than the Beatles. Before we learnt to dream of becoming engineers and doctors, we aspired to become a Bruce Lee and kick ass.

And the legend of Bruce Lee! He could fell a bull by a single punch on its forehead thrown from an inch away. He could block machinegun bullets with his trademark weapon, nunchaku. In fact, it was de riguer to have a nunchaku, and learning to wield it was a rite of passage for many.

Bruce Lee was believed to be so quick that he could flick the switch off, dash to his bed and lie on it before the light went out.

Many an afternoon would be spent discussing the endlessly fascinating question of what would have happened if Bruce Lee and Mohammed Ali had met in a fight. The consensus was either a win for Bruce Lee or a draw as Ali also belonged to our pantheon of superheroes.

Bruce Lee's death at a young age only served to enhance his mystique.

Later on, as we grew older, we, or at least I, came to view Bruce Lee as an embodiment of the wisdom of the East.

The unveiling of Bruce Lee’s statue at the Kogarah Town Square tells  me that the man who used to break bones is now helping build bridges between peoples and cultures.