Boxing Day

For more than 55 years, the Boxing Day has been a defining fixture in Swiss boxing. Every year on Boxing Day (26 December), Switzerland’s best male and female boxers step into the ring – facing both national and international opponents. By now, the event is much more than just a night of fights: it combines athletic excellence, entertainment, tradition, and national identity.

More Than Just Sport

The Boxing Day is both a sporting event and a social gathering. It attracts boxing fans as well as guests from politics, business, and culture. Yet its core remains unchanged: Swiss boxers and their achievements are at the heart of it all.

Over 55 Years of History

• The first event took place in 1969.
• In 1971, Muhammad Ali fought Jürgen Blin in Zurich – an event organized by Hansruedi Jaggi.
• Over the decades, the Boxing Day has been shaped by legendary names such as Fritz Chervet, Enrico Scacchia, Stefan Anghern, Yves Studer, Arnold Gjergjaj, Aniya Seki, Alain Chervet, and today Angelo Peña.
• Promoters like Hansruedi Jaggi, Charly Bühler, and Daniel Hartmann carried the event forward before it came under the leadership of Leander Strupler (Swiss Pro Boxing) in 2018.

Two Decades at the Kursaal

For more than twenty years, the Kursaal Arena in Bern has been home to the Boxing Day. This long-standing event enjoys wide media coverage and has become a fixed highlight in the Swiss sports calendar – perfectly placed between Christmas and New Year.

From the Margins to the Spotlight

The Boxing Day brings boxing out of its niche and into the public eye. It’s where passionate boxing fans meet an audience that rarely attends such events. Entrepreneurs, politicians, and public figures use the occasion as a meeting point – and for one day, boxing takes center stage in Switzerland.