Boxers

With a long history of world champions, from Pancho Villa during 1920's to Manny Pacquiao today, boxing has long been a significant part of Philippine popular culture. Filipinos are very proud of their boxers and somewhat consider them as modern-day national heroes. All over the country, countless aspiring fighters submit themselves to a life of rigorous training, hoping to eventually win an international title.

Among my projects this year is a photo documentary about boxing in the Philippines. I have always enjoyed watching the fights, and it's my way of participating in the sport without getting myself beaten up. This is a personal self-funded endeavor and I don't have a definite direction at the moment. I will approach magazine editors as I go along, but I am hoping to eventually produce a book.






Slugging it out during the Fistorama Boxing Match at Cantada Sports Center in Manila.

To start things, I covered the Fistorama match at the Cantada Sports Center last December. It was a chance to introduce myself to the fighters, trainers and promoters from several clubs around Metro Manila.


Me with the round girls.

The images from this project can be viewed on Flickr.