Lessons for Britain from a Boxing Gym - Part 1 - Elijah, Age 16
Originally from Nigeria, Elijah said that he was a really ‘flaccid kid’ growing up, lacking care for himself, but he had this ‘fighting feeling’. His brother told him that he needed discipline as he frequently ‘got involved with street fighting and drugs’. To which he responded, “You can’t just have discipline, you need to earn discipline.” For him, boxing is love and passion. The effort that he put into boxing is in everything that he does outside boxing, always putting in 110%
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About the Project: In collaboration with London-based photographer Gray Lee Brame (
@graybrame ), the Boxing is Love team went to London Community Boxing (
@london_community_boxing ), to speak to a few young boxers and Head Coach Chris Lodge to explore how boxing offers a rare counter-example In a world where difference is too often used to divide.
Inside this community focused gym in South London, young people practise values our public life too often forgets: care without judgement, effort without exploitation, learning through mistakes, and responsibility for the person next to you. Here, difference is not tolerated but understood as the foundation of belonging.
These portraits, containing first hand quotes, imagine what Britain might look like if it mirrored the world these young boxers have built within four walls.
Through this campaign, we explore how much we can learn from places that are too often overlooked, and the values we stand for as a community in boxing.
