Alex Winwood looks for fairytale result with title match against Knockout CP Freshmart
Alex Winwood has always dreamed big.
From the moment he turned pro in November 2022, Winwood has had the stated goal of winning a world championship in fewer fights than International Boxing Hall of Famer Jeff Fenech, who took seven bouts to achieve the feat.
The 27-year-old Winwood (4-0, 2 KOs) from Mandurah in Western Australia will get the opportunity to beat that record when he challenges longtime WBA strawweight champion and Ring Magazine number four ranked contender Thammanoon Niyomtrong (24-0, 9 KOs), who boxes under the name Knockout CP Freshmart, at HBF Stadium in Perth, Australia on September 7.
The bout will be televised live and free on local streaming service 7plus as part of the Premier Boxing Series.
“It’s the dream come true, obviously,” Winwood told The Ring. “I’ve put it out there and been quite outspoken about winning a world title very fast and to finally have the opportunity is exactly what we’ve been after. I’m just happy to be in this position.”
Thailand’s Niyomtrong, who will be two weeks shy of his 34th birthday when they fight, has been a mainstay of boxing’s lightest weight class. A 12-year veteran of the pro ranks, the ex-Muay Thai fighter won the interim WBA 105-pound title just two years into his career and was elevated to full champion by the Panamanian-based sanctioning body in 2016.
Niyomtrong has held the title ever since, making 11 successful defenses across those eight years.
Photo from Dragon Fire Boxing
If there’s a knock on Niyomtrong, it’s his lack of activity. He hasn’t stepped through the ropes since outpointing countryman and former longstanding WBC titleholder Chayaphon Moonsri (55-3, 19 KOs) two years ago.
“He’s got a world of experience on me,” said Winwood, who had a successful amateur career that saw him represent Australia in the flyweight division at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
“He’s a very tough Thai, as they all are. He’s got a strong guard, he’s happy to sit in the pocket and kind of wear them and walk his opponents down. He’s obviously strong, but I think age might be getting to him a bit. He’s also been on the sidelines for two years, so I think that everything might just swing in my favor a bit more. Speed might outdo power.
“He might try to compensate with his experience in the game, but I’ve been around the game a fair while myself. Obviously he became a world champion when I started boxing, but I’ve mixed it with some really good fighters and come through with flying colors in the last two years as a pro. I’m very confident in this fight.”
Winwood is a classy boxer-puncher with good reflexes that allow him to land quick, sharp shots. In his four pro fights to date he has shown great versatility, sometimes pressing the action, other times looking for counters.
Asked to describe his style for people who haven’t seen him box before, Winwood laughed: “I’m like a cross between Roy Jones Jr and Mike Tyson in a five-foot-two frame!”
Winwood has some serious backing in his corner. Along with accomplished manager Tony Tolj, retired former titleholder and Perth native Danny Green has also been providing guidance and counsel.
“It’s unreal. I’m talking to a person who’s been there and done that, he’s not just saying ‘yeah, I know how you feel’. He genuinely does know the trials and tribulations you have to go through as a boxer and what it takes to get to the top,” said Winwood, who was named the National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Sportsman of the Year last weekend.
“He’s given me his inside knowledge and his experiences about what does work and doesn’t work for him and he has been trying to mentor me and guide me as much as he can. That’s invaluable.”
It’s not lost on Winwood how rare an opportunity it is for a boxer to challenge for a world title in their own backyard, but the proud Noongar man is refusing to get ahead of himself.
“I always thought that once we got a crack at the world title, we would be going abroad,” Winwood said. “But we’ve got a great team behind us. There’s multiple people involved to make this happen and for them to be able to draw the fight over here is part of the story.
“I just need to get in there and finish the job for this fairytale to come true.”
The post Alex Winwood looks for fairytale result with title match against Knockout CP Freshmart appeared first on The Ring.