In between rounds, Staxx gets the crowd riled up. (Near the Manhattan bridge, Chinese Restaurant, NYC, February, 2011)
Anthony and other boxer connecting punches. (Old Fire House Soho, February, 2012)
The crowd consisting of a large number of Charlie’s friends celebrate as Charlie wins his match. (Old Fire House Soho, September, 2012)
In the corner pep talk. (Old Fire House Soho, February, 2012)
Two fighters in the middle of a match. (Lower East Side loft space, November, 2011)
A young patron fights for his window to catch the action. (Near the Manhattan bridge, Chinese Restaurant, NYC, February, 2011)
Fighter Fischer unleashes lets his demons out on his opponent as crowd looks on bewildered. (Old Fire House Soho, September, 2012)
Two boxers pair up before their match. (Old Fire House Soho, September, 2012)
Ring girl entertaining the crowd in-between rounds. (Old Fire House Soho, February, 2012)
Max Deezy post fight portrait. (Old Fire House Soho, February, 2012)
Joey Lopez stretching before fight. (Old Fire House Soho, February, 2012)
Charlie doubles up before striking Staxx. (Near the Manhattan bridge, Chinese Restaurant, NYC, February, 2011)
Staxx in between rounds, talking with one of the fans. (Near the Manhattan bridge, Chinese Restaurant, NYC, February, 2011)
Sharkie Staxx getting his mouthpiece put in for round two of fighting. (Near the Manhattan bridge, Chinese Restaurant, NYC, February, 2011)
Girls in the back room awaiting to talk to a few of the boxers. (Old Fire House Soho, September, 2012)
Right before his fight, Julian throwing mouthguard in. (Old Fire House Soho, February, 2012)
One of the boxer's girlfriends poses for a photo (Old Fire House Soho, September, 2012)
A close up of Sharkie. (Lower East Side loft space, November, 2011)
Ring girl getting going to show off in between rounds. (Old Fire House Soho, February, 2012)
Boxers locked up in the midst of fighting, Luke Todd vs Anthony. (Lower East Side loft space, November, 2011)
Boxer gets pep talk and a breather in between rounds. (Old Fire House Soho, September, 2012)
Post match breather between the two boxers. (Old Fire House Soho, February, 2012)
An abstract of two fighters. (Lower East Side loft space, November, 2011)
New York City, 2011-2014.
“I first heard about underground boxing the way many legendary things are passed along—through the grapevine. Heading out one night with a few friends, I arrived at a giant building in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Joining a slow moving mass of people climbing a staircase, I felt the dull vibrations from the steps beneath me. The scene was rampant. The music was shaking the walls as if there was a subway going through the floor below us. I had arrived.”
Fought by male models and veteran Marines, publicized through spur-of-the-moment phone calls and digital word of mouth, the illegal boxing matches are unsanctioned underground events. One of them took place in this weird a giant Dim Sum restaurant where all the waiters got rid of all the chairs and tables, and just before the fight started, totally impromptu, that’s when they tied the knots in the ropes to make finalize the boxing ring.
“When I was growing up, we didn’t really find scenes like that. We were always drinking on stoops, chilling in the park and hanging out late night, etc. After hearing about the fights, I felt completely disconnected with New York and wondered how all of this was happening right under my nose. Although I never boxed, I was immediately drawn to the spectacle of the fights. The uncertainty of the new environment sparked a curiosity that brought me back fight after fight, and drew me in on what I still consider to be the true essence of the New York City underground scene: the rush.”
“Yalkin’s black and white images, which he began shooting in November 2010, reflect an indefinite undercurrent of the matches, encapsulating not just the fight itself but the emotion of the spectators, the grit of the environment and the sensory overload of the new situation. These boxing matches not only inspired me to go back to documentary work, but to really experiment with long exposure methods to add to what I consider abstract elements to the photos. My aim is to capture what I feel is the true essence of a fight by documenting the rush, sound and the chaotic feel of the environment as much as I can through my photography”
