Icons of Pugilism: Estevan Oriol's Portraits of Boxing Legends

Estevan Oriol is an internationally recognised photographer who has helped define LA street culture since the early '90s. You might know his images of custom, tattoo and street-culture, but his work is a mix of celebrities, artists, musicians, and fighters.

He got his start in the business after traveling as a tour manager for Cypress Hill, and although his early work focuses on music and lifestyle, he has had a lifelong interest in combat sports and has been photographing fighters since before the UFC was around.

We asked Estevan to go through his archives so we could feature some of his never-before-seen fight culture photographs. His first set featured American boxing standout Floyd Mayweather at the beginning of his career; the second was of Muay Thai kickboxing in its most important venue, Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

The third instalment features portraits of the many boxing icons Estevan has shot throughout the years, including Evander Holyfield, Johnny Tapia, James Toney, Freddie Roach, Lennox Lewis, Antonio Margarito, and Julio Gonzalez.

Originally published by Fightland