Photographers Narrative

Air Force Boxing Team tryouts are another eye opener to how far you can push the human body past its limits to achieve world-class results. The three-week tryouts had workouts three and four times per day in order to prepare each fighter for the big fight night. On the last day of training, they were properly evaluated by their coaches to determine if they deserved a spot on the Armed Forces Championships roster. What impressed me even more was knowing that the fighters who make the team and win the Armed Forces Championships get an opportunity to try-out for the U.S. Olympic Team.  I met Senior Airman Matt McCoy while taking pictures of the team, and our personalities seemed to click I asked him for a little more access so I could illustrate the life of an Air Force boxer. During the final night, Matt competed against his sparring partner who had beat him the year before for a spot on the team. On this night, Matt won unanimously.