CHAMPION OF THE LENS
“Ever since I fell in love with boxing, my feelings for the sport have never changed.”
Manny Pacquiao superfight the year before, the now multi-award-winning photographer formed the opinion that the boxing landscape was changing in the U.S. The number of shows in Las Vegas had dropped, and there was as much priority on celebrity attendance as there was on the action taking place in the ring. “I’d turned 50 years old and felt I could use my connections and friendships that I’d gained in the States to contribute to the Japanese boxing business and make it bigger,” said Fukuda. “Years ago, not many people were interested in getting boxing photography from Japan. Luckily, when I came back, we had [Naoya] Inoue, [Ryota] Murata, Kenshiro [Teraji], plus [Shinsuke] Yamanaka was still fighting. “Naoya, from my perspective, is a pure Japanese boxer. He has the jab, the one-two, the body shots, and he has a well-balanced core. I used to
watch Latino boxers, and I’m a big fan of them, but Naoya is very much a fundamentally sound Japanese boxer. People may think ‘fundamentally sound’ means that he’s boring, but he’s not. He’s got power, technique and stamina. He is first class. It’s really nice that he’s being recognized in world boxing.” It’s not only Inoue, the undisputed junior featherweight champion, who is finally being recognized. As the years have passed, Fukuda has transitioned from undistinguished to critically acclaimed in the field of boxing photography. It’s been a remarkable journey with many big chapters still ahead. “Ever since I fell in love with boxing, my feelings for the sport have never changed,” said Fukuda, who turned 60 years old in July. “Teruyuki and I can talk on the phone about boxing for seven hours straight.
“With my photography, it’s only my outlook that’s changed slightly. In the States, it was a battle with editors, magazine readers, maybe even my environment, or other photographers. Now it’s different. Photographing fights now is entirely a battle with my inner self. Can I take photos that I’m satisfied with? Can I get the results that I’m aiming for? If I can give my own photos a passing grade, I can confidently share them with the world.” And for that, anyone who comes across Fukuda’s work in the boxing business should be very grateful. FUN FACT So enthused was Naoki about boxing that he trained in a boxing gym for three or four years. While he now claims that he had “no guts,” Fukuda sparred with future WBC junior flyweight titleholder German Torres on several occasions.
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