Manny Pacquiao channels Bruce Lee for Keith Thurman fight – in his actions and his words
- Boxing icon shows his impressive kicking technique on Twitter while quoting the martial arts superstar
- Lee is Pacquiao’s idol – he formed his fighting style watching the Hong Kong hero’s films growing up in the Philippines
In a picture posted to his Twitter account on Friday, Manny Pacquiao launches himself into the air with a spinning kick as strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune looks on.
“I fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practised one kick 10,000 times,” Pacquiao wrote, referencing Lee’s famous saying.
It should come as no surprise to see Pacquiao channelling Hong Kong martial arts hero Bruce Lee for his fight against unbeaten American Thurman at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on July 20.
Asked to explain his fighting style by The New York Times as he wrapped his hands inside Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing gym ahead of his 2011 fight against Shane Mosley, it only took three words: “Like Bruce Lee.”
“Bruce Lee is my idol,” Pacquiao told GMA in the build-up to the same bout. “All of Bruce Lee’s movies, I watch it. The quickness of his hand speed – bop!”