Joe Lewis

Joe Lewis is generally credited as the fighter who started American full-contact kickboxing, headlining the first cards in the early 1970s after a decorated career in point karate. The transition he made — from stopping the bout at every scoring technique to fighting continuously with power — is the transition the entire American scene made behind him.

His significance is structural rather than technical. Somebody had to prove that karateka could fight full-contact for an audience, and the ruleset the American scene subsequently codified was built around what fighters like Lewis could already do: above-the-waist striking, boxing gloves, no clinch.

He also trained with Bruce Lee, which put him at the centre of the period when American martial arts moved from demonstration into competition.