Why didn't Bruce fight Bolo?
That seemed like a fight that was due. Instead Bolo is rather anticlimactically defeated by roper.
shareRoper had to have a tough fight of his own to prove himself, redeem himself and sell John Saxon to the U.S. audiences. We'd seen Roper in action before but the first fight he beat up unskilled gangsters and in his tournament match he was too busy fixing the fight and letting himself get beat up so William's "pigeon" would bet against him. Once the bet was agreed on, Roper made short work of the other guy. Against Bolo it was chance for John Saxon's character to really show he had the morals and ability to join Bruce Lee in the battle against Han. Lee didn't have anything to prove by that point, he'd already done away with Bob Wall and went on to tackle literally dozens of henchman in the climax. Roper's fight with Bolo left us accepting that Roper was, if not an equal, then not far off of Lee's fighting abilities and that he could hold his own against many opponents.
shareOh yeh, and Roper needed someone to beat up to avenge his dead pal Williams.
shareHe could've fought Bolo in Game , alas The Reaper wanted none of that :(
Read an article from the 70s that said had Lee gone back to H.K in 1968 instead of '70 he prolly would've finished Game and prolly 2 more films , makes you very bitter when you think of what could've been > : (