Boxing is compelling entertainment, and heroes embody masculinity in one of its purest forms. But what if the boxer is just 12 years old?

There are more than 15,000 competitive youth boxers in the US.

I followed several boxers from Vallejo and Los Angeles, California, through a series of tournaments leading up to the 2006 Silver Gloves National Championships in...
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Boxing is compelling entertainment, and heroes embody masculinity in one of its purest forms. But what if the boxer is just 12 years old?

There are more than 15,000 competitive youth boxers in the US.

I followed several boxers from Vallejo and Los Angeles, California, through a series of tournaments leading up to the 2006 Silver Gloves National Championships in Independence, Missouri.

More than 500 children slugged it out in the hopes of winning the coveted national title.

These photos represent the world of child boxing.

Winner of the 2006 Dorothea Lange Fellowship.
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