Marc Shoul

George’s Boxing Club. Hillbrow, Johannesburg 2005

Marc Shoul (b. 1975, South Africa) graduated from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in 1999. Since then, he has been a freelance photographer, having worked for various publications such as Time, Colors, and Monocle etc. His works have been exhibited in Australia, Switzerland, Italy and South Africa. His ‘Brakpan’ series won first prize in the Winephoto competition in 2011. Marc has worked on stories ranging from HIV to energy solutions to Rhino preservation. He is represented by Panos and is based in Johannesburg.

About the Photograph:

“This image forms part of a series called ‘Flatlands’, which concentrates on the inner city of Johannesburg. Once a cosmopolitan area reserved for whites, the city center is now home to residents from all over Africa looking for opportunity in the “City of Gold”. Hanson and Derrick were photographed in George’s Boxing Club. I got there early one morning; many of the boxers who live and train there were still getting out of bed and washing up. Their day begins with a prayer session before they start their laborious training session. The gym’s infrastructure is minimal and basic. It has a few boxing bags and old equipment scattered around. George, the trainer, promoter and owner, runs the place during the day and works night shifts as a security guard to keep the gym operational. He was a boxer in his day and once lived on the streets. For many of the boxers here, this is their only chance to make it in a very competitive business. They are literally fighting for their lives.”