Fans and gamblers bet at cheer at the Club Gallistico de Puerto Rico in San Juan Puerto Rico. Outlawed in all 50 U.S. states following legislation banning the sport in Louisiana in 2008, cockfighting remains legal and popular in the U.S. commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
A plastic spur is attached to the leg of a gamecock as a replacement to it's natural spur, which is cut off and filed down before a fight. Made of a fingernail like material, natural spurs can vary greatly from bird to bird. Artificial spurs of the same size and weight help to make opponents more evenly matched.
Manuel Antonio Diaz holds the gamecock that he is putting up to fight while it's spurs are filed down in order to be replaced by plastic ones. Diaz said he officially puts his birds up for a $200 wager, which is kept in a sealed envelope by a judge during the fight. Informal wagering on top of that can drive numbers much higher. The most he ever bet on one fight was nearly $50K he said.
Gamecocks stand in display cases prior to fighting so that spectators can inspect them and help determine the bets that they may place on a fight.
Spectators peer through a glass wall to see as gamecocks are inspected and prepared for upcoming fights. The birds must be the exact same weight as their opponent, and have certain areas of their body shaved or plucked of feathers, as well as being fixed with a synthetic spur that they will use to attack their opponent.
Gamecocks wait for the plastic cases that hold them to be lifted, beginning the fight. A bout lasts fifteen minutes after which if both cocks are still standing, a draw is declared. A winner is declared if his opponent either killed or is unable to stand for one minute.
A strong kick to the head sends a gamecock's opponent toppling over during a 15 minute fight. The attacking bird was permanently blinded during the fight due to injuries to both of his eyes but continued to fight aggressively for nearly ten minutes. Although defeated in the final minutes of regulation, the bird's owner said that not only did he survive, but was sold for $300, a price warranted due to the bird's demonstration of courage and toughness, traits the purchaser hopes will be passed along to the chicks that he produces as a brood cock.
Papo Calazán shouts out a bet while a fight continues in the pit below. Betting is done throughout the fight, by shouting out loud a wager, a willing counterpart accepts the bet based on a code of honor that it will be reconciled after the fight.
Gamecocks attack their opponents by biting with their beak for grip and then kicking at them with their powerful legs and using their heels or spurs as weapons. While the bites can cause injury, it is the kicking that is usually the source of lethal blows.
Luis Angel, 8, collects a lifeless body of a losing cock as spectators purchase food and reconcile bets following a fight.
A gamecock pecks at the eyes of his opponent checking for life after delivering a deadly kick. Officials at the event said that on average around 40 percent of losing gamecocks die from their injuries, while many can make a full recovery and serve as brood cocks or even return to the pit to fight again.
Blood soaks the floor of a cage in the infirmary of the Club Gallistico de Puerto Rico. After fighting, gamecocks are fed, given a shot of antibiotics, and have their wounds treated. Many are returned to their owners with barely a scratch. Others that are more severely wounded can be permanently disabled or die from their injuries, and are discarded.
