Havana, Cuba
There was no match in progress when we returned to the former opulent, Spanish style estate-like home in central Havana with its broken wrought iron, decaying and missing ceramic tile, and original central courtyard now converted into a boxing ring. But the watchman, a retired heavy weight whose heyday was documented in an old newspaper clipping pinned to the bulletin board over his entryway desk, welcomed us and offered to don the gloves and pose for our photos ultimately for a few pesos. Many months later while on a people mover in the Hong Kong airport I was stunned to see a life size photo of the same retiree along a wall intended to entertain passersby between flights, with the same pose, same gloves and clothes, and same demeanor. Seeing him again made me feel as though my own work had been devalued somehow until I realized our circumstances would never be comparable.

The Print: 10 x 15 image on an archival cotton rag.