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Christina Nigg shaped Swiss sport. As a boxer, she was fast, agile, smart and powerful in the ring. And she also had taker qualities. This is a great advantage when women have to find their way in a male-dominated world.
The 63-year-old has never shied away from the difficult. She entered the ring when the men tried to ban the women from boxing “for their protection” with chilling arguments. The arguments revolved around menstrual bleeding or an increased risk of breast cancer, the hearth and family responsibilities. Christina Nigg faced many prejudices. “Of course it annoyed me, but somehow it also amused me,” she says today. “The men have disqualified themselves with their statements.”
Nigg went her own way, became the first Swiss amateur boxer, the first Swiss professional boxer, the first Swiss world champion and for almost four years she shook up the boxing association as head of competitive sports, responsible for the development of the sport in Switzerland, for training, direction , strategy and promotion.
In the realm of dreams
Christina Nigg is still the woman who has to fight her way against the men. “When I go to international tournaments in the East as head coach and head of delegation, there are practically only men there. They think I am the masseuse or the team doctor because they cannot imagine a woman as a coach.”
Nigg is standing in the narrow entrance of the Thun Oberland boxing club, which is also her office. The gym is close to the train station and offers mountain views. The centerpiece is the training room, with the boxing ring in the middle. This square of truth that could tell so many stories.
Photos and posters decorate the walls, you see Nigg as world champion in 1999. Or the poster for the film ‘Million Dollar Baby’, the tragic final story of a 31-year-old waitress who became a professional boxer against all odds. It smells of sweat and anecdotes, of suffering and life, of hopes and dreams. The mirrors on the walls suggest size and width.
This is Christina Nigg’s realm. She is the operator and head coach of the boxing gym. She built this place. This is negro country. The promising Swiss boxing talents sweat here, as do children and young people who are just there to try it out, to strengthen their self-confidence or simply for the fun of sports.
Boxing is her life
Exercise was very important to Nigg from an early age. But today she is no longer as physically fast and agile as in the best of times. She turned 63 on February 24 and has had two artificial hips since last fall. «I must be very happy with my health. The way I’ve always abused my body, it could be much worse.” She was never seriously injured and was always spared. She is grateful for that.
Boxing is still her life, seven days a week, from morning to night. She looks forward to 2025, when she can retire. Another year. The power woman in the silence zone is difficult to imagine. But she actually dives more and more often and goes on liveaboards during her holidays. “That is amazing. You will dive for an hour four times a day. You hardly have to move there, your breathing slows down, there is a wonderful peace, you don’t have to think about anything.” Diving is like floating and a balance in the daily hustle and bustle.
But before his retirement there is another sporting highlight. The Olympic Games in Paris. From the end of July. There have been no Swiss boxers at the Olympic Games since 1972. Christina Nigg would like to change that. But the mission in Paris is difficult. There are two more qualifying opportunities for Nigg’s protégés in early March and late May. There are 124 quota places worldwide for women and men in all weight classes. That is not much. Qualification would be a big surprise. In the qualifying tournaments, Nigg’s protégés should at least reach the last four with more than 600 participants.
Only a fringe sport in Switzerland
«The road to Paris is steep and rocky for us. In Switzerland, boxing lacks a lot: infrastructure, sponsors, media presence, young talent and also the courage of the athletes. In other countries, boxing is the only chance for a future. With a lot of discipline, everything is put on one card.” Nigg doesn’t blame her protégés. Adam Messibah (born 2003), Ana Milisic (1995) and Anna Jenni (1994) have been training for the Olympic Games since 2020, and Seifeddine Letaief (2002) since 2022. “They all sacrifice a lot for this dream, without knowing if it will work out in the end.”
The conditions for boxing in Switzerland are completely different. “We lose athletes along the way. They have to join the army or university, be challenged in the workplace or undergo training.” No athlete here can make a living from boxing alone. “And figureheads like Odermatt or Federer are missing,” says Nigg.
The great times of professional fighting
There used to be Fritzli Chervet, the best boxer we ever had, who filled the Swiss halls between 1967 and 1976: the Festival Hall of Bern, the Sports Pavilion of Geneva, the Hallenstadion of Zurich. And in the 1990s there were World Cup fights in Switzerland in Zurich and Bern. The fans could see Valuyev live, the Klitschkos and Holyfield. “Even if professional boxing is not comparable to Olympic boxing, such fights increase the general interest in boxing, which would benefit everyone,” says Nigg.
But at the moment we in Switzerland are still far away from international title fights of the major federations. The spectacular events take place in the Middle East. Where the money is.
As designated mission leader for the Olympic Games, Christina Nigg continues to organize all things Paris. If no Swiss are eligible, the trip will not take place and it will remain an educational process for everyone. But if so, that would be Christina Niggs’ crowning achievement. The highlight of her work as head of competitive sports and also the highlight of her career as a boxing pioneer in Switzerland. To do this, she once again throws all her passion into the ring with her protégés. She can go underground later.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
