Redfern — Inside Tony Mundine’s Gym

In 2013, Italian journalist Stefano Vergine travelled to Redfern — an inner-city neighbourhood of Sydney — to interview Tony Mundine, a former Australian boxing champion and a prominent figure in the local Aboriginal community. I accompanied him, documenting the encounter and the world surrounding Mundine’s boxing gym through photography.

Mundine was more than an accomplished boxer. After a distinguished professional career, he established a gym in Redfern that became a place for generations of young people to train, find discipline and build connections. His story is closely tied to that of a neighbourhood that has long faced social hardship and exclusion, yet has continued to assert its identity and shape its own future.

Vergine’s report, Redfern: The Rebirth of the Aboriginal Ghetto, was broadcast on 13 December 2013 by RSI (Radiotelevisione svizzera), Switzerland’s Italian-language public broadcasting service. It explored the challenges facing Redfern’s Aboriginal community and the efforts of local residents to revitalise the neighbourhood while preserving Indigenous culture.

These photographs take us inside Mundine’s gym, offering a glimpse of a place where sport and everyday life intersect. Seen against Redfern’s wider history, the gym becomes a point of entry into a broader story of community, identity and the determination to move forward without losing sight of one’s roots.

Inside a boxing gym with a boxing ring in the center, training equipment like punching bags hanging, and several people practicing or observing.
A wooden bench in a boxing gym with clothing and posters, including Muhammad Ali and Shane Mosley, on the wall behind it; a duffel bag and boxing gloves on the floor in front; a window letting in light, and a boxing ring visible to the right.
Boxing gloves and headgear stacked in front of a poster advertising a boxing match between Mundine and Taylor.
Two people training in a boxing gym, with boxing posters and equipment in the background.
A boxing gym with a punching bag hanging from the ceiling, weight equipment, a blue mat, and large windows allowing natural light.
Inside a boxing gym with a boxing ring in the center, where a boxer with gloves stands on the ring's edge. There are punching bags hanging from the ceiling, and two men are training or preparing in the background. The gym has several windows allowing
Two boxers in boxing gloves and headgear sparring in a boxing ring, one throwing a punch while the other prepares to block, with a referee observing in the background.
Two men in boxing gear in a gym, one wearing a gray and maroon long-sleeve shirt with a black headgear, and the other with a white T-shirt and blue headgear, facing each other during training.
A young male boxer training in a boxing gym, jumping rope, wearing a black shirt, blue shorts with red accents, and red boxing gloves, with boxing posters on the wall behind him.
A man wearing a white and black sports jersey and black pants is boxing in a gym, practicing with a blue punching bag.
A boxer in a blue shirt with red boxing gloves prepares to train at a gym, standing near punching bags and gym equipment, with a window in the background.
A male boxer in a gym practicing fights with a trainer. The boxer wears red gloves and black T-shirt with boxing-themed design. The gym has punching bags and mirrors, with other people in the background.
A man practicing boxing in a gym, hitting a hanging black punching bag, wearing black gloves, a black shirt, and blue shorts.
A woman in athletic wear, including a dark blue jacket, black leggings, and black boots, standing inside a gym. She is adjusting her jacket collar and wearing a gray beanie. The background shows gym equipment and other people working out.
A man and a woman in a gym or boxing gym. The man is smiling and holding a boxing glove, while the woman has her fists up in a fighting stance. The gym has exercise equipment, stools, and posters in the background.
A man standing in a gym near a hanging punching bag, wearing a red beanie, black hoodie, shorts, and running shoes.
A man in a dark hoodie sitting on a bench, with hands clasped, in an indoor sports or boxing arena.
A woman wearing a gray beanie and a black Reebok jacket making fists in a confident pose inside a store with a cage above her head.