Havana Fight Club - beautiful and disturbing, the making of-spot and photos of the Rafael Trejo Boxing Gym, Havana, Cuba

Looks, gestures, poses – the ‘Havana Fight Club’ series by photographer and director Achim LIPPOTH, shot at the ‘Rafael Trejo Boxing Gym’ in Cuba, presents both natural child-like insecurity as well as fighting determinism.

From rituals like wrapping box bandages, cooling down during and after the fight or light-footed dancing in the ring: there is always a game between light and shadow, which adds depth to the scenes, adding an extra layer. An atmosphere is created, which is both beautiful and disturbing.

The ‘Rafael Trejo Boxing Gym’ was named after Rafael Trejo, who was shot in 1930 and has been one of the first revolutionary fighters and a Cuban hero ever since. It is the oldest boxing club in Cuba and a worldwide term for the highest degree of amateur boxing.

The kids in the pictures, all between 8 and 11 years, come from so-called ‘Combinados Deportivos’, state funded sport centres. Several of the children are part of a telnet selection, others want to follow in the footsteps of their fathers or older brothers. The training is taken very seriously and is taught by former Cuban Heavy- and Light-weight Champions.