By: One World Publishing

Steven Nigro has spent his career navigating high-stakes environments. As a Managing Partner at investment banking firm TAG Financial Institutions Group, he advises companies through complex transactions where discipline, preparation, and mental toughness are non-negotiable. But outside the boardroom, Nigro has found those same qualities forged in a very different setting: the boxing ring.

What began as a personal commitment to fitness and discipline has evolved into something far more enduring. Together with his wife, Jin, Nigro co-founded Tu Lucha Rising, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering at-risk youth through boxing, mentorship, and community engagement. For Nigro, the mission reflects a deeply personal belief: that the lessons learned in the ring can change lives far beyond it.

“Boxing is the tool,” Nigro says. “But the bigger goal is helping kids learn how to fight for their future in a healthy, focused way.”

A Personal Transformation Becomes a Calling

Nigro first embraced boxing seriously in 2016, at a time when the sport reshaped not only his physical health but his mindset. The discipline, structure, and mental clarity it demanded had a profound effect. He credits boxing with giving him focus and resilience, qualities that would later define both his professional and philanthropic paths.

In 2019, when he and Jin formed Tu Lucha, a family endeavor that would become the vehicle for their philanthropy, the timing was intentional. Reflecting on their life together and the opportunities they had been afforded, the couple felt a responsibility to give back in a way that was both authentic and lasting.

That sense of responsibility was reinforced by a memory Nigro carries from his youth: a middle school teacher who told him that changing just one student’s life would define success. When that teacher passed away, his funeral was filled with former students whose lives he had touched. The lesson stayed with Nigro.

“That kind of quiet, lasting impact has never left me,” he says. “It became a standard I wanted to live up to.”

Boxing as a Platform for Belief

Through Tu Lucha, the Nigros founded Tu Luca Rising. The organization partners with gyms and community leaders who share its vision, creating safe spaces where young people can develop confidence, discipline, and self-respect.

“Boxing gives kids structure,” Nigro explains. “It teaches consistency. It teaches respect for yourself and for others. When those pieces come together, confidence follows.”

The foundation initially supported individual boxers and sponsored professional fighters, but the Nigros quickly realized their calling was broader. They shifted their focus toward youth who lacked stable support systems and positive outlets, building programs designed to meet young people where they are and help them grow from there.

Bridging Wall Street and the Ring

Nigro sees a direct line between his work in investment banking and his work with Tu Lucha Rising. At their core, both are about guidance, preparation, and outcomes.

“Investment banking is about advising people so they can achieve goals that matter to them,” he says. “But the most meaningful rewards are personal and human.”

Where deals and transactions once defined success, Nigro now finds equal fulfillment watching young people discover the strength they didn’t know they had. The foundation’s mission, he says, is about leveling the playing field and creating opportunity where it may not otherwise exist.

“There’s something powerful about seeing someone realize they’re stronger than they thought, inside and out, when they’re finally given a fair shot,” he says.

Building Something That Lasts

Looking ahead, Tu Lucha Rising aims to grow thoughtfully, without losing the personal, community-rooted approach that defines its mission. The foundation continues to support gyms aligned with its values and remains closely connected to leaders in the boxing-for-good space.

Jin Nigro serves on the board of Ironbound Boxing in Newark, an organization that provides free boxing training and mentorship to opportunity youth. That involvement has helped shape Tu Lucha Rising’s perspective on building programs that are both compassionate and durable.

Future goals include expanding access, deepening mentorship, building partnerships with schools and community groups, and potentially opening a dedicated gym. But success won’t be measured in size alone.

“We measure what matters,” Nigro says. “Confidence. Consistency. Stability. The real-life choices that start changing when a young person believes in themselves.”

For Steven Nigro, the goal remains simple and deeply personal. If Tu Lucha Rising can change even one life, he believes, the fight will have been worth it.