Wong Jack Man was a Chinese martial artist and teacher who was best known for his controversial duel with Bruce Lee in 1964. He was a master of Taijiquan, Xingyiquan and Northern Shaolin, and had many students and followers in the US and abroad. He died on December 26, 2018, at the age of 76 or 77, leaving behind a legacy of martial arts excellence and mystery. What was the cause of his death, and how did it relate to his famous fight with Lee?
The Fight with Bruce Lee
Accounts of Wong’s fight with Lee are conflicting and controversial, as it was unrecorded and held privately at Chinatown, Oakland in 1964, when both men were in their early 20s. According to Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce Lee’s wife, Lee’s teaching of Chinese martial arts to white people made him unpopular with Chinese martial artists in San Francisco. Wong contested the notion that Lee was fighting for the right to teach whites, as most of his students were Chinese. According to Sifu Scott Jensen, a white student Wong taught, the fight was not provoked by Lee’s education of Caucasians, but to “pay a penance for nearly killing a man in an exhibition fight back in China.” Wong stated that he requested a public fight with Lee after Lee had issued an open challenge during a demonstration at a Chinatown theater in which he claimed to be able to defeat any martial artist in San Francisco. Wong stated it was after a mutual acquaintance delivered a note from Lee inviting him to fight that he showed up at Lee’s school to challenge him.
The details of the fight vary depending on the account. Individuals known to have witnessed the match included Cadwell, James Lee (an associate of Bruce Lee, no relation) and William Chen, a teacher of tai chi. According to Linda, the fight lasted three minutes with a decisive victory for Bruce. Lee gave a description, without naming Wong explicitly, in an interview with Black Belt. “I’d gotten into a fight in San Francisco with a Kung-Fu cat, and after a brief encounter the son-of-a-bitch started to run. I chased him and, like a fool, kept punching him behind his head and back. Soon my fists began to swell from hitting his hard head. Right then I realized Wing Chun was not too practical and began to alter my way of fighting.” Cadwell recounted the scene in her book Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew (1975): “The two came out, bowed formally and then began to fight. Wong adopted a classic stance whereas Bruce, who at the time was still using his Wing Chun style, produced a series of straight punches.”
Wong, on the other hand, claimed that the fight lasted more than 20 minutes, and that he did not run away from Lee, but rather circled around him to avoid his attacks. He also claimed that he had an opportunity to strike Lee in the throat, but refrained from doing so out of respect. He said that the fight ended when he signaled his unwillingness to continue, and that Lee did not accept his offer of a handshake afterwards. He said that he did not consider the fight a defeat, but rather a draw. He also said that he respected Lee as a martial artist, but not as a person.
The Death of Wong Jack Man
Wong Jack Man continued to teach and practice martial arts until his retirement in 2005. He was regarded as a grandmaster of his styles, and had many loyal students and admirers. He rarely spoke about his fight with Lee, and preferred to focus on the positive aspects of martial arts. He was also involved in charitable and cultural activities, such as raising funds for the victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and promoting Chinese culture and heritage.
Wong Jack Man died on December 26, 2018, in California. The cause of his death was not publicly announced, but some sources suggest that he had been suffering from cancer for a long time. His death was mourned by many in the martial arts community, who praised him for his skill, humility, and generosity. His funeral was attended by hundreds of people, including his family, friends, students, and colleagues.
Some conspiracy theorists have speculated that Wong’s death was somehow related to his fight with Lee, and that he was either killed by Lee’s fans or followers, or that he died from a delayed effect of Lee’s punches. However, there is no evidence to support these claims, and they are widely dismissed as baseless and disrespectful. Wong Jack Man’s death was a natural and peaceful one, and he left behind a legacy of martial arts excellence and mystery that will continue to inspire and intrigue generations to come.
