Muhammad Ali secured the final knockout win of his career in emphatic style by using a style of punch he had picked up from Bruce Lee.
Ali, one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time, was facing British star Richard Dunn in 1976 at a time when the heavyweight star was 34 and approaching the latter stages of his career.
His opponent was still working as a scaffolder in his homeland and was often unable to afford sparring partners to train against .
Dunn surprised everyone though by beating Bernd August via stoppage inside three rounds to claim the European title and be rewarded with a title shot against ‘The Greatest’.
Before the bout, Ali played down suggestions that he could be stunned by the British star, saying: “I don’t care if it is the northpaw, southpaw, eastpaw or westpaw, it ain’t going to matter what paw you are when I get you.”
He stuck to his words and delivered a brutal performance that proved why he had earned his well-renowned nickname.
Muhammad Ali used Bruce Lee-style punch to KO opponent
Dunn managed to put up a solid fight against his opponent, but Muhammad Ali proved to be too good for him.
The Brit was floored five times by Ali, with the final blow coming in the fifth round when the American used an unorthodox-style of punch.
A speedy, short right-handed shot caught Dunn off guard and sent him down to the canvas. Despite bravely getting up, referee Herbert Tomser waved off the contest and awarded Ali the win.
After the fight, the heavyweight king revealed that he had been taught the punch by taekwondo grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, who in turn had learned it from the legendary Bruce Lee.
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Muhammad Ali explains inspiration behind Bruce Lee punch
The shot deployed by Ali was one that many hadn’t seen before and still a punch that the American hasn’t fully explained – presumably to keep it a secret.
A Bruce Lee-inspired punch is one that’s enough to cause any opponent damage and the former world champion’s brief breakdown of the shot stated that “It acts at the exact moment you decide to hit, and there is no lag time at all.
“It is instantaneous. It moves at tremendous speed with no warning and accelerates like a bullet in flight. You can hardly see it.”