We walked through narrow streets on our way to take photos of the Rafael Trejo Boxing Gym. Boxing murals on the walls guided us until we stepped foot inside the open-air gym. It was a hot November day in the 90s and sweat was already dripping off the fighters as we entered the gym.
The gym was named after Rafael Trejo Gonzalez, who was a law student who was killed during the protests against Gerardo Machado’s government in 1930. He began his education in 1927 and quickly became involved in spearheading the fight for the rights of Cubans. He once said that he didn’t want to be rich by saying, “My toga will always be at the service of justice… I am ready to sacrifice everything to see Cuba as Marti wanted it.”
The Rafael Trejo Gym opened in 1961 and is Cuba’s oldest and best-known boxing club. The open-air gym is not for the faint of heart and is a grueling place to learn the art of boxing. Despite its bare-bones gym, amateur boxers flock to the boxing club to learn from the best.
Boxing is the second-biggest sport in Cuba, behind baseball. It is hard not to feel inspired by the athletes pounding gloves, pads, and flesh inside the gym. As I dripped with sweat in the open-air gym, it was nothing compared to the fighters who left puddles of sweat on the floor. It is easy to understand why a boxing gym wanted to be named after a great Cuban who squared off against the government’s top bullies.
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