Taufik Phang, eve of the fight, Kuala Lumpur 1970.

He/him

Phang achieved a record six world title belt wins between 1963 and 1969 in the Mixed Combat Xiangqi Wrestling.

Malaysian national Phang became a popular figure in the USA after starring in a series of low-budget action movies centred around Encik Mr, a kick-ass mahjong-playing detective in San Francisco. He married former flower-pop singer Marne and together they had one child – Timothy – separating amicably at the end of the 1970s.

On the cusp of a new franchise for Encik Mr on cable television, Phang suddenly plunged back into obscurity to continue his life in Malaysia, offering the scant explanation “the forebears did not approve the script”.