When I was in my early 20s, I went to Europe for the first time and became fascinated with the idea of boxing gyms. I’d gone to Ireland to photograph travelling people. The girls would put their hands on their hips, but the boys would put their fists up and pull a boxing stance. It was something that stuck with me. There isn’t the same obsession with boxing in the US, where I’m from. I thought: “What are the boxing gyms like? And who goes to them?”
Later, on a road trip around the US, I met a guy at a New Orleans youth hostel who was from Ellesmere Port in Cheshire. We kept in touch – we’d write and visit – and one day I said I was thinking about going to Ireland to try to find a boxing gym. “Why go to Ireland?” he said. “There’s a gym a mile from my house and my friend runs it.”
I visited the club in 2010 and went back several times over a four-year period. I was gripped by the atmosphere. The town had been grey with rain for days, but when I walked in, the gym was so inviting – big and bright with yellow and red walls.
The boxer in this shot is called Kyle. He’s one of a dozen amateurs who train at the gym. He’s just stepped out of the ring, a fight having been set up in the back room of a working men’s club. I don’t know if he won. It never occurred to me to ask. He was sweaty and spent. The reason I like this shot so much is because it really shows who he is. Some of the boys gravitated towards me and I’d get them chatting. Kyle was more shy, the conversation didn’t happen naturally. But he worked hard in the ring and gave it his all. He has a lot of grit in this picture.
You have to be incredibly tough to get in a boxing ring. It’s constant movement and constant focus. In other sports, if you get tired or if you need a moment, somebody’s not coming right at you. As soon as a fight is over, a lot of them are in tears. It’s so tough and so emotional at the same time.
There are other pictures of Kyle in The Modern Kids, my boxing gym book. There’s one of him in his school uniform. People always do a double-take when they see that – they can’t believe it’s the same person.
I went to three clubs during the four years I spent shooting gyms – and none of them had a women’s toilet. As the mother of a boy who has just turned 14, the first time I went to a fight I thought: “There’s no way I could watch my son do that.” But it’s about so much more than boxing. The club is a huge part of the life of these boys. A lot of them go along with their fathers. I talked to them about how they might not fit in at school, how they might not be the most academic kid – but they have a place at the boxing gym. It helps them grow up.
CV
Born: New Jersey, 1966.
Studied: Film production at the University of California.
Influences: Bruce Weber – “His early work with boxers in the late 80s was beautiful.”
High point: “When Bruce Weber became interested in my work and agreed to write the introduction for my book.”
Low point: “For every idea that works out, 20 don’t. Rejection is a big part of this job.”
Top tip: “Show up – and don’t give up!”
