Exclusive Interview with Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing’s In-House Photographer.

Great sports photography captures epic moments that take you right to the heart of the action. While the pros make it look easy, a lot of technical know-how, experience, and hard work goes into each mind-blowing shot. Puncher recently caught up with pro sports photographer Mikey Williams, whose impressive resume includes being Top Rank Boxing’s team photographer, working with ESPN and the Dodgers, and serving our country in the US Navy.

Mikey gave us a glimpse into the life and career of a professional boxing photographer, revealing how he got started, the best parts of the job, and the challenges of being a freelancer.

Puncher: How did you first get into sports photography?

Mikey: After I got out of the military I went back to school and I landed in photojournalism. I wanted to be a baseball photographer because I really loved baseball. I played since I was five and just wanted to get back into baseball, and I found a passion in photography. So being able to do that with baseball, I thought that would be really cool.

Puncher: What branch of the military were you in?

Mikey: I was in the Navy. I found out I was colorblind when I went into the military. So there weren’t a lot of jobs that I could do. They told me I could be a fireman or work in the ship store or do paperwork. They didn’t really want me to mess around with bombs like I really wanted to. So I jumped around and was a security officer and did a little bit of firefighting, you know, just the basic stuff on the ship. But it was cool. I don’t regret it at all. I went to 13 different countries. Did two tours in Iraq. And after I got out, it allowed me to go back to school and find my passion for photography.

Puncher: At what point in your life, whether it was as a kid or when you were serving in the Navy, did you say, “I want to be a photographer or a photojournalist?”

Mikey: That never happened. I had to take some courses so I was like, “What am I going to take?” I didn’t know what I wanted do when I got out of the military. I was like, “Shit, what am I going to frigging do?” So I just went to school and took some classes, and photojournalism was an option.

And then, believe or not, my first assignment was to cover the baseball team. So I went out there with their camera, and dude, I fell in love with it. I said, “Wow, this is cool.” So I was like, if I could do this for the Dodgers or something down the road, that would be even more sweet, and yeah, it got me to the Dodgers. Now I work for the Dodgers and help them out during the playoffs and sometimes during the year.

Puncher: From there, how did you first become interested in boxing?

Mikey: Actually, I wasn’t ever really a boxing fan. I mean, my dad used to watch. He used to get the Oscar de la Hoya fights and Mike Tyson fights. I remember watching Mike Tyson, but other than that, I really wasn’t a fan of boxing at the time.

Puncher: So how did you go from photographing baseball to getting your first gig as a boxing photographer?

Mikey: I started shooting for a local newspaper, and a fighter by the name of Brandon Rios found me on Facebook. He was looking for a photographer and asked me if I could shoot him. So I said, yeah, let’s do it. I went to his gym and we’ve been working with each other for the last six years. So that’s how I got my first boxing gig and now I run all the Top Rank photos. It’s been a pretty cool ride.

Puncher: What was the first fight you ever shot?

Mikey: The first fight I ever shot was actually Terence Crawford. It was in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay. He fought a guy named Breidis Prescott. When Rios hired me, I went out to the ring and got warmed up with the fight before, and it was actually Terence Crawford. I like Terence. Terence has been really cool with me this whole journey.

Puncher: Is there a specific fight that you would consider to be the one that made you a pro photographer?

Mikey: I think that fight probably was Manny Pacquiao versus Timothy Bradley III. It was my first HBO pay-per-view. It was kind of like, “All right Mikey, you’re by yourself now,” because before I was underneath the previous photographer. His name is Chris Brina. He’s been a Top Rank photographer for 20, 24 years. He had left, and I was pretty much the main guy. That fight was the turning point for me saying, “All right dude, this is all yours. You can do it.” It was a big fight.

Puncher: So what’s it like being Top Rank Boxing’s official photographer?

Mikey: Man, I work with really good people. I’m right here next to my editor Hector de la Cruz. They make it really easy for me so I can relax and get good photos. Having that helps a lot because before when I started, I had to do everything by myself like shoot, edit, run backstage, and now I can relax and now I have a crew that I can say, “Hey you guys, let’s do this.” And then everything’s more simple that way. And everyone’s going to be on their game because at the end of the day, it’s about the fighter.

Puncher: What is at typical fight day like? When do you get started? How long does it go?

Mikey: I guess it just depends on which state you’re in because if we’re on the east coast, you’re not getting out of there ‘til late late. When you’re on the west coast, it’s cool. Fights go off at like 7:00, so we usually get down to the arena around 4:00, 3:30, because there’s a whole list of fighters on the card, so they have roughly seven to nine fights per night.

We get down there and start covering the fighters getting taped up. They’re backstage stretching, they’re with their team. So all that makes for some great pictures. Then all the behind the scenes stuff, not just the action but being able to see the fighters flip a switch, it’s really incredible to witness. But like I said, we have a good team set up ringside.

We’ve got remote cameras that are above the ring that we set up the night before, so we make sure all that stuff works and set up our computers ringside so we can transmit images pretty much in real time. I have a really good editor where he just throws a quick crop down, resizing, saving images, backing them up and then sending them out to the world within minutes in between rounds.

Puncher: How would you describe the way it feels to shoot a fight? I imagine it’s pretty awesome.

Mikey: It’s an adrenaline rush for sure shooting a fight. And then it’s over in a blink of an eye. It’s weird because six hours will just go by so fast, it will just fly. It’s over before you know it, but I try to enjoy it, especially some of the guys that I shoot. You definitely grow closer to the guys that you’re working with and cheer for them, and when they’re hurt, you’re like, fuck dude, you know? So in that aspect, I enjoy when they’re in the ring and getting announced. It’s definitely an adrenaline rush.

Puncher: Are you shooting from literally a ringside seat or just standing next to the ropes? Mikey: Yeah, you’re right next to the ropes. You’re right underneath the ropes. It is the best seat in the house, for sure. You don’t get any closer than that. Well, unless you’re the referee.

Puncher: About how many fights a year do you photograph?

Mikey: Roughly 150 fights. Top Rank Boxing has 24 shows this year, and there’s roughly an average of about seven fights per show.

Puncher: How many photos do you shoot per fight?

Mikey: We shoot thousands of photos, but normally for each Top Rank fighter we probably send out maybe five photos per guy. He’ll be backstage wrapping his hands, and then he’ll come out and he’ll do a ring walk, or the lights are nice and they put smoke on them, so we send out one of those, and then when he gets in the ring, that’s a good opportunity. That way you can tell a story.

Puncher: What was it like shooting Manny Pacquiao?

Mikey: He’s a professional man. That guy, he can get in there and give you the looks right away. You don’t need to ask anything. He already knows. He’s been through the rodeo a few times, so he’s got it all. You don’t have to tell him, okay, can you try to look a certain way. Nah, he just does it and you shoot it and you’re done. It’s really easy.

Puncher: Have you ever been told by a fighter to put your camera away?

Mikey: Nah, nah. They grow to trust in you. I know when is a good time and when not do it. I don’t know where I got that from. To me, it’s common sense.

Puncher: At this point in your career, do you feel like it’s part of your duty to help up-and-coming photographers who are maybe just really excited, but they don’t know the rules of engagement?

Mikey: Some people get excited and that goes back to, are you being a fan or are you being professional? I’m a professional. Photography is what it’s about for me. Some people want to be with the fighters, and they don’t want to make their photographs. I’ve had a few where I’m like, come on, dude. This is not about you or anybody else, it’s about the fighter. You’ve got to respect it and be professional in that sense.

Puncher: Who do you especially love working with?

Mikey: Terence Crawford is probably one of those guys, for sure. Something happens where when he fights, I don’t know what it is, photos are that much stronger for some reason.

And there’s another person I like photographing, Oscar Valdez, because he used to fight inside hotel ballrooms on SoloBoxeo, and to be able to work with him now at fights in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is amazing. Also, Vasyl Lomachenko, one of our new champions, he’s fantastic. But honestly, I love all the guys and women from the top dawgs to prospects. Nothing but love for all of them.

Puncher: What are some of your all time favorite photos in your career?

Mikey: The Vasyl Lomachenko photo where he knocked out Rocky Martinez and he did a back flip. That’s probably my all time favorite photo. That day was a nightmare actually, before. During the fight I wasn’t getting anything, water was spilling in my computer. Images were getting lost, my timing was off and it was just a battle through the whole thing. And I was getting upset. Our play by play correspondent Crystina Poncher told me Mikey, you know, we can’t have a good night every night. And I go, no, that’s impossible. So she goes, just settle down and relax, and you know, that’s what I did. I just kind of stuck with it all the way to the end.

Nobody had a photo like I had because the guy was laying down so you can see his look on his face. The flip matters to me too, because he’s vertical. He’s not halfway in his flip or almost down. The guy on my left, he had his shot, like him barely starting to flip. Another guy has it afterward. Everyone has one but mine is perfectly vertical. It’s like head over heels, straight in the air. It’s perfect.

Puncher: Can you tell us something surprising about you that people don’t really know?

Mikey: I recently started coaching. I really enjoy coaching kids. I coach a 13-year-old baseball team. Like I said before, I played baseball, so being able to coach them and show them some stuff that my dad taught me when I was a kid, it’s pretty cool.

Puncher: What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring sports photographers?

Mikey: You’ve got to let your passion lead the way because you’re not going to get rich doing it. If you’re going to follow the path and that’s what you like to do, you gotta keep going. Work hard and stay humble. Help others reach their goals. You gotta be passionate about it and not focus on the money part. Have fun and keep grinding.

Shout out to the wifey who has been the biggest support system since day one which allowed me to follow my passion for photography. Love you babe.

I also want to say thank you to Top Rank Boxing for allowing me to be apart of the team and letting me do what I love for a living and to all of the fighters for trusting me to photograph them.

Make sure to follow Mikey on Instagram check out Top Rank Boxing online or even better go to a fight! All of these photos are the copyright of Mikey Williams.

You definitely want to check out Puncher’s other exclusive interviews “What is Krav Maga?” an interview with Roy Elghanayan The Bruce Lee of Krav Maga and “The Dopest Fight Shop in The World” an interview with Dylan Lapari of Superare Fight Goods.

To learn more about the history and practice of other martial arts check out the other articles in the Puncher “What is” series on Judo, Boxing, Karate, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Sambo, MMA and more.

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