“For a place that struggles with drugs, violence, exile and the heat. A haven is a special place.”Photographer documents boxing club that gives struggling community “a sense of place”

Moretón is the Spanish word for ‘bruise’ and the title of Darren Vargas’ first publication, which centers around the Lee Espinoza Coachella Valley Boxing Club.

The first-generation Mexican-American photographer was inspired to embark on the project following the death of his grandfather, Esmael. Boxing club owner Lee Espinoza, who is affectionately known in the area as the “godfather of boxing,” reminded Vargas of his grandfather.

Rather than focus on the combat sport itself, the photographer’s work is said to build a narrative around the process of finding a sense of place, self and forgiveness. And indeed, a portion from the sale of each book will go back to the boxing club – which is free to the public.

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Vargas grew up in a non-traditional Mexican immigrant home. His parents divorced before he was born and he moved from city to city as a child. But Indio and Coachella Valley were constants of sorts.

During the summer, grandparents Esmael and Jessie would take Vargas to the desert region where they were born and where relatives still lived. “This place does not just hold meaning for me; it holds legacy,” says Vargas.

“One of the immigrants is building something for themselves, for their community, and their families. To me, Coachella Valley is a representation of what it is to make it from nothing and still build everything around you.

“This project is not only a personal reflection on what legacy means and how that translates to my own experience with my grandfather but is a documentative view on what it is to be an immigrant and build something.

“It is a response to struggle and hardship but finding ways to still give back. Lee has sacrificed to make something for the youth in Coachella valley. For a place that struggles with drugs, violence, exile and the heat. A haven is a special place.”

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The Espinoza Coachella Valley Boxing Club was founded in the Eighties so Espinoza’s son could take up the sport. It would eventually relocate next to Coachella City Hall, where generations of boxers would seek Lee’s guidance in spite of the confined space and lack of financial support.

Moretón by Darren Vargas is published by Rocket Science Studios and will officially launch on July 25 priced $60 (approximately £45 / AU$87). The 98-page book is softback with a casebound linen-texture cover, sized at 8x10in. It will be promoted at the NY Art Book Fair in September and Paris Photo in November.