At a small cockfighting arena outside La Palma, Cuba, roosters are weighed in before being handed through a barred window where the birds are held in individual lockers until they are pulled to fight in on July 17, 2016. Occasionally, arguments ensue between the rooster owners and the fight officials over the recorded weight of the bird. One-tenth of a kilogram can mean the difference of being assigned to a higher weight class and fighting a larger bird.

An artificial spur is wrapped tightly to the rooster’s leg where the animal’s natural spur had been clipped outside La Palma, Cuba on July 17, 2016. Although most roosters do not die during cockfights, this spur has the ability to deal a lethal blow when landed in the neck of its opponent.

A bookie steps into the ring between cockfights to collect bets at an arena in a rural area 20 minutes outside of La Palma, Cuba on July 17, 2016. Betting is an integral part of the sport.

A man calls for a bet during a cockfight in a rural area outside of La Palma, Cuba on July 17, 2016. Spectators aggressively yell over each others to get their bets in before the fight ends.

Cuban Cockfighting

A cockfight owner looks on as his rooster goes down during a fight in a rural area of Cuba 20 minutes outside the town of La Palma on July 17, 2016.

Two roosters attack each other in an arena in a rural area outside La Palma, Cuba on July 17, 2016. Although cockfights are a well-known Sunday activity, they do not attract the average Cuban. Cockfights are violent and tend to draw mainly the fanatics who enjoy the intensity of the sport and the gambling.