Grandmaster Yip Man did not actually fight any British boxing champion. In real life, it was actually Yip Man's student, Wong Shun Leung ("Wong Leung" in the movie), who fought a 240 lbs Russian (not British) boxer in Hong Kong. Wong Shun Leung won that fight by KO in three punches.
While filming a scene, Sammo Hung (Master Hung Chun-Nam) was struck in the face by co-star Darren Shahlavi (Twister). He insisted on completing the shoot before going to the hospital. Not wanting his injuries to hinder the production progress, Hung spent five hours trying to complete the scene before going to the hospital for four stitches.
Although Darren Shahlavi is presented in this film as being in perfect health and in prime condition, only five years after this film he passed away from a heart attack.
Ironically, Darren Shahlavi (the Twister) had been a big fan of Donnie Yen and, before him, Ip Man's student Bruce Lee. Another irony is that the actor playing this fictitious British champion is ethnic Iranian, a group that along with other Asians were once looked down upon by the British Empire.
Yu-Hang To, who played the character of Hu Wei in this film, played the character of Ip Man in The Legend Is Born: Ip Man (2010).