In my experience most Bruce Lee haters are illogical and insecure. Of course he didn't challenge nak Muay because HE RESPECTED muay Thai AS A LEGITIMATE FIGHTING ART and he adopted what he could from it. He didn't challenge boxing gyms either because HE RESPECTED BOXING as a legitimate and very effective fighting art and he adopted what he could from that as well. He challenged traditional dojos because he was out to prove the ineffectiveness of those styles COMPARED TO the progressive and contact oriented styles such as muay Thai and boxing.
He was irritated with the delusional and closed minded ways of thinking of traditional martial artists so he was on a mission to prove how delusional and closed minded they were.
Man, some of you people really should get off of that "Bruce Lee wasn't a real fighter, he was an actor" wagon and get a clue.
You're full of shit and don't know WTF you're talking about.
1. Bruce Lee was challenging people in Chinatown, when he was a nobody that was trying to make a name for himself. He was posting flyers challenging anyone for a fight. No Boxers saw them, probably b/c there weren't any Boxing gyms in Chinatown. At that time, Chinese were low class citizens and stayed among themselves.
2. Wong Jack Man was another "nobody" Kung-Fu guy w/his real job being a waiter....and he answered Bruce Lee's flyer for a fight. And they fought behind closed doors w/both sides claiming they'd won.
3. After the above fight was when Bruce Lee virtually renounced his Wing Chun training....realizing how shitty it was, even vs. some Kung-Fu/Waiter guy off the streets....and started looking into other arts to cross train. This fight was in 1964, which meant that all Bruce Lee had was some street chopsocky and Wing Chun...of which the Chunners (another group of delusionals) claim, wasn't close to being complete through his training with Ip Man.
4. After this fight in 1964, Wong put out an ad in the papers for a 2nd fight open to the public to settle it. The 2nd fight never happened b/c Bruce Lee either ran away or ran away and got lucky with his Green Hornet opportunity; which aired in 1966.
5. Jeet Kune Do was originated in 1967. Which meant that he had less than 3 years to develop JKD...esp. while filming TGH. Which probably meant that he made up that JKD joint on the fly w/o much training in those supposed "other arts" like Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling, etc....and after his sudden death, it was PROBABLY Inosanto and the rest of his students who perpetuated the art of JKD into what it is today..... something that's basically below average in terms of world wide accomplishments. If anything, it was probably Inosanto who added all that Muay Thai, Boxing, FMA, etc. into it. Inosanto is a legit Nak Muay + FMA'ist. Sure his students did it b/c they loved him, but also for all that $$$$$$ cashing in on Lee's name.
So NO.....Bruce Lee didn't challenge Boxers, Nak Muays, etc... because he got a real job in 1965 filming The Green Hornet (and losing a challenge fight would be detrimental to his rep) . Then he rubbed elbows with movie stars, teaching them KF...., so now he's cleaning himself up his image. The only period that he had time to be a street thug, challenging schools was during that time in Chinatown. He couldn't even beat a Kung-Fu waiter yet you think he can go into a Boxing gym in the 'hood to start trouble? And Muay Thai probably didn't even exist in the USA at that time.