Read Online Against All Odds: My Story by Chuck Norris, Abraham Norris, Ken Chuck, Chuck Ken; Norris Abraham, Ken Abraham - Free Book Online Page B
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became a reality when I was invited to fight in a Tournament of Champions in New York City. The top ten fighters in the United States were to fight a round-robin, a tournament in which every fighter competes against every other fighter. The competitor with the most victories would be the champion.
Joe Lewis was one of the ten, and the decisive fight came down to Joe and me. We had beaten everyone else, and now we would face each other to decide the championship.
Joe's two principal weapons were a lightning-fast side kick and a quick and powerful back fist. A smart and intimidating fighter, Joe instinctively understood what the Japanese refer to as kyo (weakness), and he looked for that in his opponent.
To beat Joe I knew I'd have to be aggressive from the start and force him to think defensively rather than offensively. I was in top physical shape, I had my techniques down pat, and my reflexes were sharp. I was also psychologically determined to win, but I knew this was going to be a tough fight.
Joe and I bowed to start the march. As I stepped into a fighting stance, Joe immediately drilled me with a side kick. Ouch! Joe was awarded one point, jumping out to a quick lead. The match began again, and I counterattacked, scoring with a reverse punch. After that, neither one of us could score on the other. We went into three overtimes and still neither of us could score! The judges decided they would have to make a decision on the winner. They awarded me the victory because I had been more aggressive in the match. It was a match that Joe and I would relive many times in the future.
CHAPTER 9
WHEN WARRIORS COLLIDE
H undreds of karate fighters from all over the world gathered at Madison Square Garden in New York to compete in the 1967 All-American Karate Championship. I arrived in New York the night before the tournament and went to bed early. I knew from experience that it was important to have a good night's sleep so I would be totally relaxed on the day of the fight. But when I got into bed, my mind was racing. Usually, if I'm having a hard time falling asleep, I'll imagine that I am watching a movie screen that suddenly goes black. For some reason the mental exercise relaxes me, and I can drift off to sleep while waiting for the “movie” to come on again. That's what I did the night before the karate championship in New York. I awoke on the morning of the tournament completely refreshed.
When I arrived at the Garden, I saw all the other competitors standing around, talking to old friends, joking and laughing. A strong camaraderie exists among karate fighters. If I hadn't known better, it would have been hard to imagine that we were all warriors about to do battle.
I went to the locker room, took my freshly laundered uniform from my overnight bag, undressed, and stashed my clothes in a locker. My gi felt comfortable, almost as though it was a part of my body. It had become my favorite clothing, loose in the shoulders, with sleeves and pants that snapped like a whip when I kicked or punched.
I took deep breaths, exhaling slowly, attempting to keep myself relaxed and in a calm state. I knew that tension or stress burns energy. I wanted to be totally relaxed prior to fighting, conserving the energy that I would need when I stepped into the ring.
The tournament director called the black belts in the middleweight division to line up for pairing. I went straight to the middle of the floor and let the line form on each side of me. Some of the black belts hung back to scout the opposition. They were trying to pick their opponents so they wouldn't have to exert themselves too strenuously in the early matches.
The various competitors—lightweights, middleweights, light heavyweights, and heavyweights—were to fight in different rings. The winners of the respective weight divisions would then fight each other. The Grand Champion would be the man who defeated the winners of all the other weight divisions!
I settled down on
Joe Lewis was one of the ten, and the decisive fight came down to Joe and me. We had beaten everyone else, and now we would face each other to decide the championship.
Joe's two principal weapons were a lightning-fast side kick and a quick and powerful back fist. A smart and intimidating fighter, Joe instinctively understood what the Japanese refer to as kyo (weakness), and he looked for that in his opponent.
To beat Joe I knew I'd have to be aggressive from the start and force him to think defensively rather than offensively. I was in top physical shape, I had my techniques down pat, and my reflexes were sharp. I was also psychologically determined to win, but I knew this was going to be a tough fight.
Joe and I bowed to start the march. As I stepped into a fighting stance, Joe immediately drilled me with a side kick. Ouch! Joe was awarded one point, jumping out to a quick lead. The match began again, and I counterattacked, scoring with a reverse punch. After that, neither one of us could score on the other. We went into three overtimes and still neither of us could score! The judges decided they would have to make a decision on the winner. They awarded me the victory because I had been more aggressive in the match. It was a match that Joe and I would relive many times in the future.
CHAPTER 9
WHEN WARRIORS COLLIDE
H undreds of karate fighters from all over the world gathered at Madison Square Garden in New York to compete in the 1967 All-American Karate Championship. I arrived in New York the night before the tournament and went to bed early. I knew from experience that it was important to have a good night's sleep so I would be totally relaxed on the day of the fight. But when I got into bed, my mind was racing. Usually, if I'm having a hard time falling asleep, I'll imagine that I am watching a movie screen that suddenly goes black. For some reason the mental exercise relaxes me, and I can drift off to sleep while waiting for the “movie” to come on again. That's what I did the night before the karate championship in New York. I awoke on the morning of the tournament completely refreshed.
When I arrived at the Garden, I saw all the other competitors standing around, talking to old friends, joking and laughing. A strong camaraderie exists among karate fighters. If I hadn't known better, it would have been hard to imagine that we were all warriors about to do battle.
I went to the locker room, took my freshly laundered uniform from my overnight bag, undressed, and stashed my clothes in a locker. My gi felt comfortable, almost as though it was a part of my body. It had become my favorite clothing, loose in the shoulders, with sleeves and pants that snapped like a whip when I kicked or punched.
I took deep breaths, exhaling slowly, attempting to keep myself relaxed and in a calm state. I knew that tension or stress burns energy. I wanted to be totally relaxed prior to fighting, conserving the energy that I would need when I stepped into the ring.
The tournament director called the black belts in the middleweight division to line up for pairing. I went straight to the middle of the floor and let the line form on each side of me. Some of the black belts hung back to scout the opposition. They were trying to pick their opponents so they wouldn't have to exert themselves too strenuously in the early matches.
The various competitors—lightweights, middleweights, light heavyweights, and heavyweights—were to fight in different rings. The winners of the respective weight divisions would then fight each other. The Grand Champion would be the man who defeated the winners of all the other weight divisions!
I settled down on
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