Boxing Day 2024 offered a spectacular program with thrilling fights in front of a full house in the Kursaal Arena Bern. Organized by Leander Strupler’s boxing promotion Swiss Pro Boxing, the evening offered a diverse programme – from up-and-coming young talent to established champions.
Angelo Peña (30) confidently defended his WBO Intercontinental title in the super featherweight division. The local hero from Bern defeated South Korean Gisu Lee unanimously on points (100-90, 98-92, 97-93) and remains unbeaten after eleven professional fights. Peña is currently ranked 12th in the WBO rankings and 38th in BoxRec ‘s independent world rankings in his weight class. This victory brings Peña another step closer to his dream of one day boxing for the world championship. He follows on from the great achievements of Swiss boxing legends such as Fritz Chervet and Stefan Anghern.
Action-packed undercard
In the only women’s fight of the evening, Gabriela Timar (38) from Basel secured the WBO International mini-flyweight title. She dominated all rounds (100-90, 100-90, 99-91) against Yoselin Fernandez, who is twelve years her junior, and thus moved closer to a possible world championship fight.
Félix Meier (20), the up-and-coming talent from Lausanne, impressed once again. In his second professional fight, the young hopeful trained by Alain Chervet defeated the Venezuelan Simon Gonzalez by knockout in the second round. Benoit Huber (38), the personal boxing coach of Sion boss Christian Constantin, celebrated a successful comeback in the cruiserweight division. With a clear victory by technical knockout against Adnan Deronja, Huber showed that he still has what it takes despite two defeats in a row.
Prominent guests and an impressive atmosphere
In front of 1200 enthusiastic spectators, the atmosphere in the Kursaal Arena made for an incomparable experience. Exciting personalities from the worlds of sport and business were among the guests at the ring. The main fights were broadcast live on blue Sport, while the entire fight card was available via livestream and ticker on Blick.
Results at a glance:
- Angelo Peña defeats Gisu Lee (points win, 10 rounds)
- Gabriela Timar defeats Yoselin Fernandez (points win, 10 rounds)
- Félix Meier defeats Simon Gonzalez (knockout, 2nd round)
- Benoit Huber defeats Adnan Deronja (T.K.o., 5th round)
- Jérôme Haller defeats Szabolcs Bekk (knockout, 2nd round)
Olympic boxing:
- Janick Moluh defeats Dzan Malkoc (points victory)
- Mohamed Nasani defeats Gregory Veil (points win)
Text: Press release / Swiss Pro Boxing