Hammarby IF Boxningsförening, commonly known as Hammarby Boxning, is a Swedish

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

club based in Stockholm. It is one of Sweden's oldest boxing clubs, founded in 1919, and a section of Hammarby IF. Their gym is located in

Södermalm Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is a district and island in central Stockholm. Overview The district covers the large island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''). Although Södermalm usually is considered an island, wa ...

, an area the club considers its heartland.

History

The boxing department was founded in 1919 as part of the multi-sports club Hammarby IF. Together with nine other clubs, Hammarby also helped to form the Swedish Boxing Association the same year. The members of Hammarby exclusively consisted of young men from the

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...

, employed as industrial workers at one of the many factories in the Södermalm district. Hammarby produced several successful amateur boxers in the 1920s, among those Lars Mellström and most notably

Gunnar Berggren Gunnar Alf Erik Berggren (26 January 1908 – 2 September 1983) was a Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken p ...

, who finished third in the lightweight class at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam. Berggren is the only Hammarby athlete that has ever won an Olympic medal in an individual sport. In 1930, however, Hammarby found themselves in financial difficulties, after arranging a loss-making boxing gala at

Cirkus CirKus are a trip hop band formed by Burt Ford (Cameron McVey), Karmil (aka Matt Kent), Lolita Moon and Neneh Cherry. History DJ and producer Karmil was recruited by Burt Ford (Neneh's husband Cameron McVey) as an assistant recording engi ...

, and the boxing department was dissolved. In 1969, Hammarby took up boxing again, merging with local clubs Sparta BK and Årsta BK. The same year, the club moved into its current gym at Kocksgatan in the central part of Södermalm, which is the oldest of its kind in Sweden. The acclaimed writer and illustrator Stig "Slas" Claesson started train at the club and helped to raise funds, later being elected an honorary member for life. An other frequent celebrity guest in the 1970s was singer

Olle Adolphson Olle Adolphson (2 May 1934, in Stockholm – 10 March 2004, in Stockholm) was a Swedish writer, singer and songwriter. He released a range of books (''Aubade'', ''Foliá''), LPs (''En stol på Tegnér'', etc.) and CDs (''Älskar inte jag dig d ...

. In the 1980s, thanks to journalist and lifelong Hammarby-fan

Börje Dorch Börje Dorch (17 October 1929 in Malmö – 9 January 2004) was a Swedish draughtsman, journalist and writer who was very active in sports.

, the club recruited

Lotfi Ayed Lotfi Ayed (born 25 February 1959) is a Swedish boxer. He competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 198 ...

and

Roger Andersson Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic languages, Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", " ...

, who both went on to win several Swedish Championships. Since 2014, Hammarby has arranged the annual boxing gala "Bajen Rough House" in Eriksdalshallen, attracting an attendance of roughly 1,000 people, facing other clubs such as local

rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

Djurgårdens IF Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm. Name The club is name ...

and

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...

from

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. In modern days, Hammarby boxer

Anthony Yigit Anthony Yigit (born 1 September 1991) is a Swedish professional boxer who challenged for the IBF light welterweight title in 2018. As an amateur, following his success in 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships, Yigit qualified for the 2012 S ...

has achieved international success by winning the 2017 European Championships.

Honours

Swedish Championships ** Winners (22): ***Axel Berggren (1922 welterweight), (1924 lightweight). *** Lars Mellström (1925 bantamweight). ***

(1925 lightweight), (1926 lightweight), (1927 lightweight), (1928 welterweight). ***Leif Magnusson (1970 bantamweight), (1972 bantamweight). ***Åke Andersson (1971 light heavyweight), (1972 light heavyweight). ***

(1983 super heavyweight). ***

(1983 middleweight), (1984 super middleweight). ***Josef Barciak (1987 super flyweight). ***Leon Chartoi (2014 super middleweight), (2015 super middleweight) ***Robin Safar (2015 heavyweight), (2016 super heavyweight). ***Ali Yusefi (2017 lightweight). ***Adam Chartoi (2018 super middleweight). ***Liridon Nuha (2018 heavyweight). * Shield of the European Union

European Championships ** Winners (1): ***

( 2017 super lightweight). * Olympic rings without rims

Olympic medalists This article includes lists of all Olympic medalists since 1896, organized by each Olympic sport or discipline, and also by Olympiad. Medalist with most medals by sport Summer Olympic sports Winter Olympic sports A. Including military patrol e ...

** Bronze (1): ***

( 1928 lightweight).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammarby IF Boxning Boxing clubs in Sweden Hammarby IF 1919 establishments in Sweden