COMBAT SPORTS
Lindenmuth fights to a draw in Denmark
Olayo-Mu帽oz wins Golden Gloves national title
It鈥檚 a boxing judge鈥檚 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 鈥� meaning Bosque Farms battler Katherine Lindenmuth settled for a majority draw after a furiously contested 10 rounds against Australia鈥檚 Linn Sandstrom.
The WBA interim flyweight (112-pound) title for which the two women were fighting thus remains vacant.
One judge clearly favored Lindenmuth鈥檚 aggressiveness, scoring the bout 98-92 for the 36-year-old single mother of three. The other two judges scored it 95-95 鈥� as did the Journal, scoring off the DAZN stream of the highly entertaining bout.
Sandstrom (12-4-4, 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鈥檚 highly unofficial scorecard read 59-55 鈥� five rounds to one 鈥� for Sandstrom.
Thereafter, Sandstrom began to wilt under Lindenmuth鈥檚 relentless assault. Lindenmuth, an avid distance runner, danced in her corner between rounds 鈥� 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 鈥� who, after the final bell, suggested that a draw might well be the outcome.
So it was.
Lindenmuth鈥檚 aggressiveness, coupled with Sandstrom鈥檚 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.
Sandstrom, born in Brazil and a resident of Australia, is of Swedish heritage and had a significant cheering section in neighboring Denmark. All three judges were announced as from Denmark.
Before the bout, the broadcast team said there was a good chance that the Sandstrom-Lindenmuth winner would get a WBA title shot at champion Gabriela Fundora. Sandstrom, the No. 1 contender and still holder of the WBA Gold 112-pound belt, might still be in line.
Lindenmuth, whose preferred fighting weights are 108 pounds (light fly) and 105 (minimum) and who holds the WBA Gold title at 115 pounds, is not ranked by the WBA at 112.
Saturday鈥檚 bout was originally a defense of Sandstrom鈥檚 WBA Gold flyweight title, then was upgraded to interim world-title status.
翱尝础驰翱-惭鲍脩翱窜: In Tulsa, Oklahoma, Las Cruces boxer Joscelyn Olayo-Mu帽oz defeated California鈥檚 Emely Sandoval for the 106-pound title at Golden Gloves national championships.
Olayo-Mu帽oz is a 16-time USA Boxing national champions in several age groups as she progressed from year to year. Saturday鈥檚 gold medal, though, is her first in open-division (age 18 and over) competition.
