Swiss Championship: Huber vs. Berisha

The Swiss cruiserweight title has not been contested since Benoît Huber won it seven years ago. On Boxing Day, the crown in the 90.7 kg division will be up for grabs again. Huber, from Valais, and Leonid Berisha, from Fribourg, are scheduled to fight over ten rounds. It is the second Swiss title bout on the Boxing Day 2026 card, alongside the super-welterweight main event between Félix Meier and Alfred Kqira.

Huber aims for a second Swiss title

On 14 December 2019 at Forum Fribourg, Huber knocked out the previously unbeaten Zurich fighter Seid Dzemaili in the tenth and final round. According to BoxRec, it remains the only bout ever contested for the title. The victory was a highlight of Huber’s professional career. On Boxing Day, one day after his 40th birthday, the 1.97-metre fighter from Sion will bid to reclaim the title.

Leander Strupler has managed Huber since May 2024. Later that year, Huber beat Adnan Deronja on Boxing Day. On 2 October 2026 in Denmark, he upset local favourite Ditlev Rossing by unanimous decision after eight rounds. His professional record now stands at eleven wins from seventeen bouts, seven of them inside the distance. A second Swiss title could open the door to another major fight abroad in 2027.

In the ring, Huber is an old-school boxer. Outside it, he has a reputation for being “unmanageable”, at least if you ask his former managers. The Valais native, who also works as Christian Constantin’s personal trainer, has a sense of humour and a soft spot for animals. As he told Danish television, “Pivfta”, the name on the waistband of his boxing trunks, is his dog’s name. It is his way of bringing his dog into the ring with him.

Berisha returns to Bern unbeaten

Leonid Berisha is 24, stands 1.83 metres tall and lives in Payerne. The boxer of Albanian heritage won two Swiss elite titles in Olympic boxing. He made his professional debut in Geneva in November 2025. A month later, he won by unanimous decision on Boxing Day at the Kursaal Arena. Managed by Davide Bianchi, Berisha has won all four of his professional bouts, two inside the distance.

Berisha is married and known for his entrepreneurial drive. He has built up a network of fans and sponsors around Payerne and also draws support from the Albanian community, with which he has close ties.

Sixteen years and fourteen centimetres apart

Berisha and Huber both know what it feels like to win on Boxing Day. This year, only one of them can leave the Kursaal Arena as the winner. For Berisha, it is his first professional bout scheduled for ten rounds. For Huber, it is likely to be one of the last fights of his career. The match-up between the young prospect and the veteran will show whether Berisha can still put his technique and movement to work in the later rounds, and whether Huber, at 40, still has the punching power to decide the fight.