Red Corner
By: Gustav Hoiland
Category: boxing
| Aperture: | f/5.6 |
|---|---|
| Focal Length: | 17mm |
| ISO: | 3200 |
| Shutter: | 1/0 sec |
| Camera: | Canon EOS 5D Mark III |
Coaches play their boxers like they are unresponsive game controllers. Wireless and the batteries are near dead. ONE-TWO-ONE-TWO KEEP YOUR HANDS UP… in any given round, the machine responds to perhaps one command.
I spent the evening in the red corner, often smushed onto perhaps the single most microbially diverse swamp of suede in the Northern hemisphere, lush with everything a human body can give. Elbows, then forearms, then cheekbone resting on its softness, all to get this kind of angle.
This was a bit different than the boxing gym behind the auto-body shop. Four side-referees, a panel of judges, the tuxedo’d man announcing the fighters as the arena went dark with anticipation. My only advice – don’t pay extra to have a tuxedo’d man say “and this round is brought to you by [companyname], because it’ll probably be muffled and a sponsor announcement is soon forgotten during a fight.
The Friday After.
Gustav Hoiland 
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