Gleason's Gym

I photographed Gleason's Gym on assignment for a month, appearing at different times of day for a couple of hours at a time, as well as being there for a couple of amateur competitions. For my first visit I chose to come and see the gym right before they open, i.e at 5am. Since I lived in Harlem that meant getting up at 3am on a cold March night. During my time in the gym I photographed everything that caught my eye, from pro boxers to amateurs, coaches , kids, equipment and locker rooms. I spoke to the regulars and the team. I met quite a few current and past world champions such as Heater Hardy, Alicia Ashley, Devon Cormack, John Douglas or the famous coach Tony Baldwin. And of course the two great legends: the owner – Bruce Silvergrade, and Hector Roca who has been in the boxing game for over half a decade. Every time I came back I felt more at home and the job got easier after the initial getting-to-know-each-other period when not everybody wanted to be photographed. The whole experience was definitely something to remember, the gym's atmosphere created not only by the daily routines, the smell, the light, the equipment, but also by the space filled with history, and the office with hundreds of medals, awards and photos of past champions visiting or training in the gym including the likes of Mike Tyson, Jake LaMotta or Miles Davis.