Cuba, an island of sun and sugarcane rum, has emerged as one of the most fearless nations on earth. Despite economic sanctions, the nation has persevered, revealing the fighting spirit of the national character. Perhaps nowhere is this as evident as it is in the sport of boxing, as the Cuban national team holds 30 Olympic medals in the sport, more than any other country.
State-sanctioned and heavily promoted by the government, amateur boxing draws youth from all across the island to fight. Photographer Thierry Le Gouès first began traveling to Cuba in the 1990s, documenting the people and places of the island for his extraordinary monograph, Popular (powerHouse Books). He returned to the island in 2006, to focus exclusively on the practitioners of the sweet science.
Over the next eight years, he spent time in the training camps and in the boxing rings, photographing the young fighters and their quest to win. Havana Boxing Club (powerHouse Books), his latest monograph, has just been released, a sumptuous volume of tritone photography printed on unvarnished matte paper. The result is a sumptuous look at the sport, of the dedication and commitment it takes to become a champion.
Le Gouès, whose photographs have been featured in the film “Belly”, as well as publications including French Vogue, L’Uomo Vogue, and Vogue Homme International, among others, brings his sense of beauty and humanity to the sport, revealing a side of Cuba that is celebrated the world over. Le Gouès speaks with Crave about his work.
CraveOnline: I remember boxers in Popular, beautifully blending into the mix. When did you begin taking these series of photos? Why did you decide to focus on boxing in Cuba?
Thierry Le Gouès: I started to photograph boxers in Cuba in 1996. When I started working on Popular, I discovered amateur boxing was a great subject by itself. I really started to work again on this subject in 2006. I took many trips over a period of eight years, dedicated to boxing.
Can you speak about what Cuba brings to the sport of boxing? What is it about the people, their character, and their style that makes them great boxers?
After the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro banned professional boxing so all the boxers became amateur boxers. Boxing is a national sport like baseball and produces many amazing champions over the years. In the 1960s, coach Alcides Sagarra made a great method of training for the boxers in Cuba. His method is still used today. This has made Cuba the number one nation in amateur boxing, producing champions like Theophilo Stevenson (ten-time world champions in the 91 kg category), as well as Felix Savon, another multiple world champion.
Please talk about the men you’re photographing? Who are they? Where are they from? What drives them to become fighters?
Cuban society is socialist, so everyone feels kind of equal in terms of social background. I would say they all come from the same background, and start training very young. Their dream us to achieve and become champions one day and win an Olympic medal or a world title fight. The Cubans are very proud of their nation, and to fight for their country is very important. The government puts a lot of effort into the support of sports in general.
I really love how the men relate to you in the photos. They are so present, so available without being self conscious in any way. What do you most enjoy about photographing the boxers, and the sport? I imagine it must be exhilarating, emotional, intense, amazing—all this energy because that’s what comes across in the photographs.
I think boxing is really photogenic, especially in Cuba. I found some really great places, such as training camps and sports facilities, to photograph. What I like most is to photograph the training sessions. After a few years, I became familiar with some of the boxers and coaches, and was invited to training sessions and competitions.
All photographs ©Thierry Le Gouès, from Havana Boxing Club, courtesy of powerHouse Books
Miss Rosen is a New York-based writer, curator, and brand strategist. There is nothing she adores so much as photography and books. A small part of her wishes she had a proper library, like in the game of Clue. Then she could blaze and write soliloquies to her in and out of print loves.
