In a battle of unbeaten champions, WBF and WBO female middleweight titlist Christina Hammer scored a close ten-round unanimous decision over light middleweight beltholder Maria Lindberg at an SES promoted show in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic, to regain supremacy at the 160 pounds limit.
Both champions engaged in a fast-paced, high action bout from the get-go. While Lindberg was the aggressor, Hammer tried to use her longer reach effectively and outbox her challenger.
Most of the early rounds were very close and hard to score. Only the third was a clear stanza for the champion, when she caught Lindberg with a couple of hard shots to bloody her nose. Willing and eager to become a two-division world champion, Lindberg, from Sweden, got herself right back into the fight and scored with good punches as well.
In the second part of the contest, Hammer, from Germany, slowly took over with faster and more accurate combinations. Her work rate increased and she had more success than earlier and won rounds more convincing. It was still a tough fight, with Lindberg very much in it and having some good moments of her own. Hammer seized the deal in the tenth and final round, when she pushed herself even more and outfought her dangerous challenger.
After the bout’s conclusion, both fighters offered their respect to each other and waited for the official verdict to be announced. Scores read 98:92 and 97:93 twice, all for Hammer. To most ringside observers, the scores – especially the 98:92-call – were too wide, they had seen a much closer battle after all. But still, there was no doubt about the winner.
Scoring her career best victory, Hammer moves her record to a perfect 10-0 with 7 knockouts. Lindberg, who also proved to be among the very best in female boxing, falls to 5-1-2 with 1 KO.
