Linn Sandström: "I really feel that I belong at the top. I didn't feel out of place in that world title fight. There is no stopping me now. I am super motivated, and I am excited for what the future holds."

By FightPost: MMA & Boxing News on 28th Aug 2024

The quite remarkable story of Linn Sandström will start its next chapter in Sweden. Sandström will head to the Jacy Hotel in Gothenburg on October 12th to fight Carla Camila Campos for the WBA International title.

Campos wasn't the original choice of opponent. Sandström and her team had big plans, and it could have been another shot at a world title.

"We actually had another fight planned," Sandström told me over Zoom. "We were going to do a massive 16-week camp, but unfortunately, that opponent got injured in her last fight. It would have been for another world title, but she got injured, and with me having already been in camp, we still wanted to fight on that date. So, we managed to land this fight for the WBA International super-flyweight title."

Sandström added that Campos had been on her radar for some time.

"The first time I came into the WBA rankings, I actually took her spot. She has been on our radar for a long time. I remember we wanted to fight this girl for the Intercontinental title when I fought in London. But finally, we will get to fight each other."

For Sandström, the fight on October 12th is vital to her fighting future. A win would put her on the brink of a second opportunity on the world stage. But a defeat would be a big setback for the former International Table Tennis star.

"It's a super important fight for me," Sandström says of her fight with Campos. "It will get me into a position to fight for another world title. I would be ready to fight for a world title right now, but at least I get to fight for a title that is just a step away from a world title. I am so thrilled because it gives me the opportunity to get back on top again, and it's in Sweden.

"We have flown in a girl from Hong Kong for sparring, and she has been here twice. We leave to go to Mexico on Wednesday for four weeks."

In April, Sandström made an unsuccessful challenge for the WBA super-flyweight title. Clara Lescurat got the better of Sandström in Australia, but in many ways, Sandström sees it as a big learning experience for her.

"I learned loads from that world title fight," Sandström relayed to FightPost. "Obviously, for me, I came into the fight after rupturing my Achilles tendon. So after overcoming that injury so quickly, just fighting for a world title was an accomplishment. We had a great camp leading up to the world title fight. We went to America. I was fit. I felt really strong and mentally, I was in a very good place. I learned a lot in the fight itself, and if I fight her again, I would definitely beat her. I know I didn't win many rounds, but there wasn't much difference in the rounds. With a few tweaks, I think the next time we fight, I will win.

"It was just experience. It was my first time fighting for a world title, and I was coming off a major injury. There wasn't much in it, to be honest. I know what I need to do differently, and I definitely want another crack at her."

Sandström returned in June. A trip to Bangkok to fight Prakayrat Wongsuta Bangkok. Initially, Sandström was declared a loser over six rounds until the scorecards were revisited and the result changed to a draw. The Sandström team were incensed over their treatment, firmly of the belief that they had been robbed of a rightful victory.

"It was a very weird fight because the canvas was really slippy, her corner kept pouring water on her," Sandström says of her experience in Thailand. "I was sure that I had won, but they took forever to announce the decision. But when they announced her as the winner, I was just as shocked as my coach. Everyone was saying this wasn't right. You need to lodge a protest about it. My coach went back to them, and we started recounting the scores, and it turned out that they had calculated the scores wrongly, and I didn't actually lose, and they changed the decision to a draw. But even a draw wasn't right because we definitely thought we had won. We tried to get the decision overturned, but it stayed as a draw. But that draw was enough for us to qualify for another title fight. It was a crazy experience, but it's not fun when things like that happen. You go over there and put time, effort, and money into it, and then that happens. You can't even find footage of it online. But thank god I had a persistent coach who looked at the scores. It wasn't even the right scores that were read out. It could have changed or even defined my future."

Linn Sandström has struggled for acceptance in many ways since she started her new sporting journey. With only one win in her first four professional fights, the signs were anything but good. But Sandström persevered and didn't lose again until she stepped up to world level in April.

At 32, Sandström is young enough to come again. And she fully intends to.

"I really feel that I belong at the top. I didn't feel out of place in that world title fight. There is no stopping me now. I am super motivated, and I am excited for what the future holds."