Movie legend Bruce Lee takes on iconic boxer Mike Tyson in new fan-made art. Martial-arts movies became a worldwide phenomenon in the 1970s largely thanks to superstar Lee. Sadly the screen legend passed away in 1973 at the age of only 32.
Thankfully before his passing Lee was able to firmly establish his reputation as the king of martial arts movies with films like The Big Boss, Fist of Fury and The Way of the Dragon, the last of which featured him taking on American martial artist Chuck Norris. After his passing, Lee’s legend only continued to grow thanks to posthumous releases like Enter the Dragon, Game of Death and Circle of Iron. Today Lee continues to be revered, so much so that when Quentin Tarantino showed the martial arts master being fought to a draw by Brad Pitt’s stuntman Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, fans around the world protested the mere idea.
Lee fans may not be willing to accept that their favorite martial arts hero could be bested by a stuntman character in a Tarantino movie. But perhaps they will entertain the idea of him being given a good fight by someone else known for his ability to mercilessly destroy his opponents. That’s the proposition put forth by a new piece of fan art from Seung Eun Kim depicting a street tussle between Lee and legendary boxer Tyson. See the art in the space below (via ArtStation):
Tyson of course has had his own brushes with film stardom over the years, his most memorable appearance coming in a cameo as himself in the comedy The Hangover. And just as Lee became a TV star thanks to The Green Hornet, Tyson too became an unlikely small-screen figure of note through his vocal performance – again as himself – in the animated show Mike Tyson Mysteries. Of course long before all of this, Tyson was a fearsome boxer who in 1986 became the youngest man ever to capture the title of heavyweight champion.
Those old enough to remember Tyson’s period of boxing dominance in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s may indeed not be so put off by the idea of him giving Lee a good fight. Of course the stylistic contrast between Tyson and Lee is tremendous, Tyson being a classical boxer and Lee a master of kung fu. If on some other plane of existence the two did fight, it would no doubt be a fascinating thing to see. But since such a thing is impossible in actual reality, fan art like the dynamic and cool image featured above is the best way to visualize what might happen if Lee vs. Tyson ever came to pass.
Source: Seung Eun Kim/ArtStation