Alex Winwood has at all times dreamed huge.
From the second he turned professional in November 2022, Winwood has had the acknowledged purpose of profitable a world championship in fewer fights than Worldwide Boxing Corridor of Famer Jeff Fenech, who took seven bouts to attain the feat.
The 27-year-old Winwood (4-0, 2 KOs) from Mandurah in Western Australia will get the chance to beat that report when he challenges longtime WBA strawweight champion and Ring Journal quantity 4 ranked contender Thammanoon Niyomtrong (24-0, 9 KOs), who containers beneath the title Knockout CP Freshmart, at HBF Stadium in Perth, Australia on September 7.
The bout will probably be televised dwell and free on native streaming service 7plus as a part of the Premier Boxing Sequence.
“It’s the dream come true, clearly,” Winwood instructed The Ring. “I’ve put it on the market and been fairly outspoken about profitable a world title very quick and to lastly have the chance is precisely what we’ve been after. I’m simply comfortable to be on this place.”
Thailand’s Niyomtrong, who will probably be two weeks shy of his thirty fourth birthday once they struggle, has been a mainstay of boxing’s lightest weight class. A 12-year veteran of the professional ranks, the ex-Muay Thai fighter gained the interim WBA 105-pound title simply two years into his profession and was elevated to full champion by the Panamanian-based sanctioning physique in 2016.
Niyomtrong has held the title ever since, making 11 profitable defenses throughout these eight years.
Photograph from Dragon Fireplace Boxing
If there’s a knock on Niyomtrong, it’s his lack of exercise. He hasn’t stepped by way of the ropes since outpointing countryman and former longstanding WBC titleholder Chayaphon Moonsri (55-3, 19 KOs) two years in the past.
“He’s obtained a world of expertise on me,” stated Winwood, who had a profitable newbie profession that noticed him signify Australia within the flyweight division on the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
“He’s a really robust Thai, as all of them are. He’s obtained a powerful guard, he’s comfortable to sit down within the pocket and form of put on them and stroll his opponents down. He’s clearly robust, however I feel age could be attending to him a bit. He’s additionally been on the sidelines for 2 years, so I feel that every little thing would possibly simply swing in my favor a bit extra. Velocity would possibly outdo energy.
“He would possibly attempt to compensate along with his expertise within the recreation, however I’ve been across the recreation a good whereas myself. Clearly he turned a world champion once I began boxing, however I’ve combined it with some actually good fighters and are available by way of with flying colours within the final two years as a professional. I’m very assured on this struggle.”
Winwood is a cultured boxer-puncher with good reflexes that enable him to land fast, sharp pictures. In his 4 professional fights thus far he has proven nice versatility, generally urgent the motion, different instances in search of counters.
Requested to explain his fashion for individuals who haven’t seen him field earlier than, Winwood laughed: “I’m like a cross between Roy Jones Jr and Mike Tyson in a five-foot-two body!”
Winwood has some severe backing in his nook. Together with completed supervisor Tony Tolj, retired former titleholder and Perth native Danny Inexperienced has additionally been offering steering and counsel.
“It’s unreal. I’m speaking to an individual who’s been there and carried out that, he’s not simply saying ‘yeah, I understand how you’re feeling’. He genuinely does know the trials and tribulations you must undergo as a boxer and what it takes to get to the highest,” stated Winwood, who was named the Nationwide Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Sportsman of the Yr final weekend.
“He’s given me his inside data and his experiences about what does work and doesn’t work for him and he has been making an attempt to mentor me and information me as a lot as he can. That’s invaluable.”
It’s not misplaced on Winwood how uncommon a chance it’s for a boxer to problem for a world title in their very own yard, however the proud Noongar man is refusing to get forward of himself.
“I at all times thought that after we obtained a crack on the world title, we might be going overseas,” Winwood stated. “However we’ve obtained an amazing group behind us. There’s a number of folks concerned to make this occur and for them to have the ability to draw the struggle over right here is a part of the story.
“I simply must get in there and end the job for this fairytale to return true.”
