Gene Lebell Height, Weight, Fight

Late martial artist Gene LeBell is 5 ft 10 inches (178cm or 1.78m) tall.

Gene LeBell Weight

Gene weighs 165 lbs.

Gene LeBell Fight

In 1963, Gene faced boxer Milo Savage, who also had a background in amateur wrestling.

It was a five-round match, each lasting three minutes. Savage was 39 while LeBell was 31 at the time.

Savage wore a karategi which was much tighter and harder to grab. His gloves was also made of brass knuckles and he had allegedly applied grease on his gi to make it even more difficult to grip.

Gene had a tough time trying several techniques during the second and third rounds and at the end of the match, was able to Savage down.

Savage became unconscious and Gene was declared the winner.

The result had caused an outrage from the crowd who reacted violently to the extent that Gene almost got stabbed.

Who Was Gene LeBell?

Gene LeBell was a martial artist, stunt performer, actor, and former wrestler.

Born on October 9, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, Gene began training in Catch wrestling and boxing at a very young age.

His mother, Aileen Eaton, was his biggest influence. She was a promoter of wrestling and boxing.

At age 7, Gene was already training under Ed “Strangler” Lewis and then began learning judo in Japan, after earning his black belt.

Gene was nicknamed “the Godfather of Grappling”, because he was always grappling during fights.

In 2000, he became the 9th Dan in jujitsu and taihojutsu, a title conferred on him by the United States Ju-Jitsu Federation (USJJF). Four years after, Gene was promoted to 10th Degree.

Aside from martial arts, Gene also worked on more than 1,000 films and TV shows and wrote 12 books.

Gene died on August 9, 2022. He was aged 89.