Brooklyn-based photographer Steven Counts likes sports. Just check out the homepage of his website. His love of photographing athletes began when he was a young spectator shooting his then hometown baseball team, the Detroit Tigers, from the bleacher seats with his dad’s 35mm camera.

This new series of images of professional and amateur boxers celebrates the athlete both as the hero and the real person. “Being up close and personal with fighters while they train is an intense experience,” Counts says. “The combination of their power and skill is beautiful and frightening at the same time.”