Photo via blackbeltmag.com
Bill Superfoot Wallace on PKA comeback, Elvis friendship, and More
Bill Superfoot Wallace is a pioneer of full contact karate and notched multiple defenses of his PKA world title across a spotless pro record. Wallace is set to judge PKA Worldwide tryouts in Fort Worth, Texas on August 27th.
Wallace came on Bowks Talking Bouts and multiple topics were covered during this conversation with a legend. Excerpts from our chat are below.
Bill Superfoot Wallace
PKA Worldwide providing a great platform for Olympics practitioners in taekwondo and karate as well as Wallace’s role on the first ever UFC broadcast
“I was at the very first MMA match in Denver and people basically, if you’re not a jiu-jitsu person at that time, you had no idea what was going on. These guys were rolling around on the ground. All of sudden you see somebody tap out. I said why did he tap out? He didn’t get punched, he didn’t get kicked or anything, why did he tap out? He said well they choked him out. You can’t see it, how did he choke him out? So I mean basically at that time, there were more fights in the audience than there were down in the Octagon, you know.”
PKA Worldwide
PKA Worldwide having their standup battles take place inside a cage as opposed to a ring, pit, etc
“I’ve never fought in the cage per se. Walked around in one, played around in one. First of all I was a point fighter back in the late 60’s, early 70’s and we just had a square put on the floor. So I didn’t mind stepping out of bounds because they didn’t penalize you or warn you. Get back in the ring, so I’d walk back in the ring. I’d run out of the ring again because I didn’t want to get hit. Then all of a sudden they put us in this ring and I go uh oh, I have no place to run. So now I have to fight back. Now I have to use strategy you might say.”
“To work combinations, to work techniques to get my opponent to run into something. People didn’t realize but I was a very good counter fighter because I wanted to run from you. I didn’t want to be close to you. The nose was still straight, there was no scar tissue… A lot of fighters nowadays are using that. Conor McGregor was great at keeping the distance. A lot of the younger fighters are great because they have that distance. They don’t get hit, they can counter. I’m amazed at how fantastic these guys are nowadays.”
Elvis Presley and Bill Superfoot Wallace
His friendship with Elvis, their mutual passions for martial arts, and if Elvis could have competed
“I’m not going to see the film. I have my views on what Elvis was like when he was with me….Of all the Memphis Mafia that was around when the film was being done and all that stuff, the only ones that are still alive are myself and Jerry Schilling who’s working with Priscilla right now… I remember talking with Elvis when we were in his bedroom….Now you go to Graceland, you’re not even allowed to go up to the bedroom…. Not even realizing it at the time, those were some of the best times I’ve ever had. Sitting around talking with The King.”
“I think he would have loved that because he’s a hands-on guy. He liked to ride horses, he liked to play with cars. When he would do self-defense techniques with Red West, he would beat the living crap out of Red and Red would love it. Red was his number one guy. It was just phenomenal to watch these guys do it, Red West, Jerry Schilling, Sonny West, Joe Esposito, Charlie Hodge. These guys they’re all gone now but they were all up at the school. All working out, learning how to punch and kick, training together.”
