Jackie Chavez, from the series Women Boxers: The New Warriors,

Delilah Montoya is a Chicana Southwest photographer who here investigates the concept of the malcriada, or the “bad-mannered girl,” through the emerging sport of women’s boxing. In collaboration with New Mexican scholar María Teresa Márquez, Montoya initiated the photographic series, exhibition, and book project Women Boxers: The New Warrior. Montoya followed the sport’s circuit in the Southwest, researching the motivations, rigorous training, and sanctioned combat that define professional boxing.  

In her own practice, Montoya has been inspired by the documentary approach of French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson and American photographer Bruce Davidson. As such, the artist conceived of the boxer series as large images to enhance their confrontational presence, while also favoring black and white to, in her words, “give the sense of history.” In 2005, the boxer depicted here, Jackie Chávez, was among the top five contenders in multiple boxing leagues. Montoya’s boxers continue her ongoing interest on working-class and marginalized figures fighting for relevance and recognition in their respective communities.