Analysis

March 25, 2026

‘Fight like your lives depend on it, boys’: Sifted goes ringside at Europe’s first robot boxing match

I spent last Sunday in Zurich with the students who want to build the next unicorns


Éanna Kelly

7 min read

In a military-style hangar on the outskirts of Zurich, a young man wearing a suit and sunglasses rallies the crowd: “Let’s get ready to rumbleeeeeeeeee.” Then he turns to two humanoid robots: “Fight like your lives depend on it, boys.”

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ETH Robotic Club president Declan Shine
ETH Robotic Club president Declan Shine rallies the crowd
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Éanna Kelly

Éanna Kelly is a contributing editor at Sifted, and writes Startup Life , a weekly newsletter on what it takes to build a startup. Follow him on X and LinkedIn

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