Thorsten Roth began his work of boxer portraits in the summer of 2005 at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, NY. Thorsten’s portraiture of each individual fighter is defined by the gym’s captivating history and each member’s strong work ethic.

But also outside of Gleason’s T.Roth spontaneously photographed professional boxers such as Vladimir Klitschko, James Moore, Andy Lee, Samuel Peter, Vivian Harris, Kermit Cindron, Edgar Santana and Maureen Shea, as well as amateur fighters and other apprentices of the Sweet Science. Every photograph seeks to reflect a common “fighter-spirit”, and the will and perseverance to extend one’s own potential to its limits. Boxing couldn’t be a better analogy to the drama and tragedy of the human experience. It is T. Roth’s intention to capture the facets of this complex experience in his portraits.

For a fighter, real adversity is found not in facing his opponent, but in the experience of his own boundaries.

In her classic book, "On Boxing", Joyce Carol Oates wrote, “Life is hard in the ring, but there you only get what you deserve.” Oates describes the mythological attraction of the boxer to the fight --the struggle within himself. In a discipline in which any move can determine victory or defeat, present-moment awareness, skills and discipline are crucial.  But ultimately, the fighter’s faith in himself is his only hope.

In October 2006 T.Roth participated in the Dumbo Art-Festival and had an exhibition of his portraits at Gleason’s Gym.

In the summer of 2007 the boxing-brand EVERLAST featured him with his photographs in their Magazine. Thorsten Roth continues to be a practioner of the "Sweet Science" and to photograph portraits of fighters.