PLUCKY BOXERS GO DOWN FIGHTING
EVEN without their hands raised in victory, Johnny Lindgren could not have been prouder of his young boxing prodigies.
The Townsville trainer pitted his young stars — Sonny Lindgren, 11, and
Sonny Prasser, 13 — against fighters from Brisbane’s All Star Boxing gym on Saturday to test how far they had come.
Each had fended off every opponent put in front of them in North Queensland, however they had rarely been pushed to the limits needed of them to go to another level.
That was until Saturday’s spectacle at Brothers
Leagues Club. Neither of the aspiring stars were able to get the win against their more fancied rivals, but Lindgren said the character they showed was a sign of how high their ceilings were.
While his son was “overwhelmed” by the ferocity of his opponent, Lindgren said the manner in which he accepted defeat was a proud moment in itself, while the older Sonny showed just how far he had come in only 18 months after his points-decision loss.
He said the chance to contend with fighters from Queensland’s southeast would ensure they remained humble in their pursuits of higher honours, instilled with the belief that, while they have a long way to go, they can match it with the best.
“Sonny Prasser impressed the hell out of me – he came out hard and was fighting a rematch,” Lindgren said.
“He lost every round last time, (but this time) he came out and won the first round.
“Speaking among the crowd, a lot of people said we were unlucky not to get that one.
“We can keep fighting the same kids up here, but sooner or later you have to swim in the ocean. Although (they’ve) been killing it here, there are boys in Brisbane who are a notch or two above but they won’t always be.
“You learn … if you train hard you can beat them down the track.”