Lindenmuth fights to a draw in Denmark
It’s a boxing judge’s eternal conundrum. Does one favor the boxer who lands the cleaner punches, or the fighter who dictates the action with constant pressure? Saturday in Brondby, Denmark, two judges came down in the middle — meaning Bosque Farms battler Katherine Lindenmuth settled for a majority draw after a furiously contested 10 rounds against Australia’s Linn Sandstrom.
The WBA interim flyweight (112-pound) title for which the two women were fighting thus remains vacant. One judge clearly favored Lindenmuth’s aggressiveness, scoring the bout 98-92 for the 36-year-old single mother of three. The other two judges scored it 95-95 — as did the Journal, scoring off the DAZN stream of the highly entertaining bout.
Sandstrom (11-4-4, two knockouts), several inches taller, had success catching Lindenmuth (8-5-1, three KOs) on the way in during the early rounds with jabs and straight right hands. Lindenmuth, while never taking a backward step and often forcing Sandstrom to back away or clinch, landed few clean punches. Through six rounds, the Journal’s highly unofficial scorecard read 59-55 — five rounds to one — for Sandstrom.
Thereafter, Sandstrom began to wilt under Lindenmuth’s relentless assault. Lindenmuth, an avid distance runner, danced in her corner between rounds — clearly the fresher of the two as the fight wore on. Rounds seven through 10 belonged to Lindenmuth, an opinion shared by the DAZN broadcast crew — who, after the final bell, suggested that a draw might well be the outcome.
So it was. Lindenmuth’s aggressiveness, coupled with Sandstrom’s struggle for control at close quarters, made for a messy fight. Referee Jan Christensen interrupted the action several times, cautioning both fighters, but deducted no points.