Muhammad Ali used punch he learned from Bruce Lee to score the final KO of his legendary boxing career

Legendary boxing icon Muhammad Ali claimed he used a punch taught by Bruce Lee to secure the last finish of his illustrious career.

They say greatness comes in all shapes and sizes, and those with an open mind can benefit from people of all skills in their trade, especially in martial arts. UFC champion Georges St-Pierre famously took advice on his spinning kicks from Joe Rogan, and Muhammad Ali is no different.

‘The Greatest’ used Lee’s ‘Accupunch’ to knock out British fighting man Richard Dunn in his 1976 heavyweight title defense.

• READ MORE: Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson slammed by iconic US sportscaster as a ‘step toward our ultimate oblivion’ in damning roast

Muhammad Ali’s ‘Accupunch’ was taught to Taekwondo grandmaster by Bruce Lee

It took Ali five rounds to knock out Dunn with a short right hand. Boxing enthusiasts would call it a right cross, but Ali referred to the off-rhythm punch as an ‘Accupunch,’ which he credited late-martial arts master Jhoon Rhee for teaching him.

Bruce Lee made the punch mainstream. Rhee inherited the knowledge and taught it to Ali before his ‘Thrilla in Manilla’ fight with Joe Frazier, according to Mixed Martial Arts. The punch was intended to be quicker than the opponent’s reaction time, hence being unblockable.

• READ MORE: He was a heavyweight boxer who wrote a handwritten letter to his rival – it helped him regain his titles

“That wasn’t a right hand,” Ali commented on his Dunn knockout. “That was a unique accupunch. It would hit a man as soon as hitting the target. It’s quick [Ali demonstrated the punch].”

The punch finds its roots in a branch of traditional martial arts that contemporary fans would consider inadequate in today’s sport, but the principle holds.

The punch relies purely on instinct, and before the attacker has actively thought about throwing it, the body has already reacted and hit the mark. How can an opponent block a punch the thrower isn’t consciously aware of.

Rhee was keen to demonstrate his accupunch at many seminars.

Martial arts movie star Michael Jai White demonstrates accupunch

In the same vein, movie star and martial artist Michael Jai White demonstrates the principles of the accupunch in an interaction with Kimbo Slice.

• READ MORE: Mike Tyson-level savagery made this Olympic heavyweight the most avoided of his time

White was less about the speed and more about practicing non-telegraphed movement to defeat an opponent’s reaction time.