Our History
The tale of the tape.
From giving people a place to train, to producing World champions, Bristol Boxing Gym is a place where everyone can belong.
Bristol Boxing Gym was formed in 1989 when Chris Sanigar was granted a professional boxing manager/trainer license. Chris had developed a strong reputation as an all-action boxer during his career representing England as an amateur and 31 pro fights becoming Southern Area Champion.
In the past 30+ years Bristol Boxing Gym and Sanigar Events have become the pioneer for professional boxing in the South West of England. Bristol Boxing Gym originally based in St Pauls moved into a brand-new facility in Easton, Bristol in January 2015 with a £500,000 redevelopment providing some of the best boxing facilities in the UK.
The gym is also the home of the historic Empire Amateur Boxing Club and award-winning charity Empire Fighting Chance. The amateur club formed back in 1968 has produced many national champions and England International boxers. Empire Fighting Chance combine non-contact boxing and intensive personal support to challenge and inspire vulnerable over 5,000 young people a year to realise their unique potential.
In the professional ranks under the guidance of Chris Sanigar the gym has produced many champions from British, Commonwealth, European and World Champions. This started with Bristol’s Ross Hale becoming British Champion in 1994 and we have not looked back since.
Our Champion Roll of Honour:
Ross Hale - British & Commonwealth Champion 1994
Dean Francis - British & European Super Middleweight Champion 1997
Glenn Catley - British Middleweight Champion 1998, WBC World Super Middleweight Champion 2000
Adrian Stone - IBO World Light Middleweight Champion 2000
Scott Dann - British & Commonwealth Middleweight Champion 2004-06
Jamie Arthur - Commonwealth Super Bantamweight Champion 2010
Darren Hamilton - British Light Welterweight Champion 2012
Lee Haskins - Commonwealth Flyweight Champion 2006, British Super Flyweight Champion 2008, Commonwealth Super Flyweight Champion 2009, European Bantamweight Champion 2012, IBF World Champion 2016
Lee Selby - British and Commonwealth Champion 2011, European Champion 2013, IBF World Champion 2016
Robbie Turley – Commonwealth Super Bantamweight Champion 2017
Ashley Lane - Commonwealth Super Bantamweight Champion 2017
Ashley Brace – First ever female British boxer to become European Bantamweight Champion 2018
Gavin Gwynne – Commonwealth Lightweight Champion 2021
Sanigar Events has been promoting boxing events across the UK for the past 25 years involved with promoting the biggest British boxing names including Prince Naseem Hamed, Frank Bruno, Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton and Tyson Fury to name a few. We continue to regularly promote in the West Country, South Wales and London producing more champions for the future.
In 2006 Jamie Sanigar and Martin Bisp who managed the Empire Amateur Boxing Club formed Community Sports Projects from the gym coaching children in the local community, schools, and community centres throughout Bristol. In 2013 we registered as a charity Empire Fighting Chance based at the gym, we now work with around 5,000 young people a year in deprived communities across Bristol and South Wales. For more information visit www.empirefightinghchance.org
