Man Uses Boxing Skills to Survive Bear Attack

danjoseph | July 6, 2016
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A Canadian black bear messed with the wrong 61-year-old while the man was walking his dog on Sunday.

Rick Nelson and his dog were enjoying a leisurely stroll when they crossed paths with a bear cub. Upon seeing Nelson, the bear emitted a high-pitched “yelp” sound. 

"I knew right away I was in trouble," Nelson told CBC News. "It's calling for mommy.”

Nelson was right. Almost immediately, the 300-pound mama bear came barreling out of the woods in attack mode, ready to maul Nelson.

Nelson didn’t have any weapons on him or sticks or rocks nearby, so he resorted to a skill to try to stop the beast: boxing.

It turns out the bear messed with the wrong guy. Not only was Nelson a former featherweight boxer, but he was also a bear hunter. Nelson claims to have combined both skill sets to anticipate the bear's next move. 

"I knew it would swing first with its left, but it would really come with its right, because most bears are right-handed,” he explained. His first swing hit the bear in the teeth. The bear then retaliated by scratching Nelson’s face and chest. 

Despite the injury, Nelson managed to get a second punch in and hit the bear right in the nose. At that point, the cub made another noise and both Nelson and the mother bear decided it was time to retreat. Nelson was perfectly fine with the split-decision. 

"It was like two warriors backing away from the battle. I really lucked out there.”

Sounds like the bear did too. 

Nelson’s coworkers have since given him the nickname “Kung-Fu Panda.” 

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