Vic Moore
The first Black national karate champion. Believe it or not, you’ve seen him, but didn’t realize you were looking at greatness. Ever see that random clip of Bruce Lee throwing a punch at a random brother’s face at what appeared to be a tournament? Well, that random dude was Vic Moore and he and Lee did not participate in a fight, it was nothing more than a speed drill, which took place at the 1967 Ed Parker Long Beach International.
Vic Moore with Bruce Lee at the 1967 Ed Parker Long Beach International
Black Belt magazine’s editor at the time, deliberately discredited Vic Moore while praising Bruce’s performance; he gave no account of the full exchange between the two men. Moore protest the exchange, emphatically stating that the he blocked Bruce Lee’s first two blows to the chest and then Bruce flashed a punch to his head; although the two had agreed to simply throw punches to the chest area. He stated that after that exchange, he also was able to strike Lee with his punches.
Putting the Bruce Lee debate to the side, Vic Moore has an impressive resume as a martial artist. According to the website
USADOJO.Com he initially trained as a boxer, and later joining the United States Karate Association, a tenth degree black belt who successfully placed in every tournament from 1965 – 1975; defeating notable fighters including: Mike Stone, Chuck Norris, Jim Kelly, Joe Lewis and Bill “Superfoot” Wallace. Alongside Joe Lewis, he would introduce Kickboxing to the American public on the Merv Griffin show in 1973. Vic Moore is alive and well, he can be contacted here:
www.facebook.com/victor.moore.5688
Training with his daughter