You might think the idea of Alex Winwood challenging for a world title at 27 years old and with just four pro fights under his belt makes him a young man in a hurry, but the native of Bunbury, Australia, doesn’t see it that way.
“I don’t feel like I’m trying to rush anything,” said Winwood, who faces unbeaten Thammanoon Niyomtrong (aka Knockout CP Freshmart) for the WBA minimumweight title on Sept. 7 at HBF Arena in Joondalup, Australia. “I just think the fights have been there and there’s no point taking backward steps and trying to fight lesser opponents. I’ve always just taken anyone who’s been put in front of me.
“Knockout CP Freshmart came up as the opponent, and yeah, I’m more than happy to take it. I don’t think there’s any downside for me. I’m going to mix it up with the best and I’m going to show him that I belong there. He’s the champion for a reason, and I want to see where I’m at and I believe I can beat him. So yeah, I just think I’ve got what it takes now – and let’s see if I do.”
What a concept. Not fighting 20 no-hopers and waiting before stepping in the ring with a live body or picking and choosing the “right” opponents to marinate a career. Winwood’s approach is admirable. Yet while some old-school fans and pundits applaud the way he’s jumping into the deep end of the pool, there are just as many wondering why he would go in there to face a titleholder with an undefeated record after less than two full years as a professional.
“For the people that have been paying attention in terms of certain officials and things like that around Australia, they’ve kind of said, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t put Winwood in with these guys.’ And they’ve pretty much said it from the second fight onwards. They’ve always been skeptical. But we’ve just got in there, one after another. And because I haven’t been fighting on Australia’s big promotions and things like that, a lot of what I’ve done has been kind of under the radar, and not too many people have paid attention. And now that I started to get a world title shot, there’s been comments like, ‘Oh, this guy’s only had four fights. Why is he rated so high? Why is he getting an opportunity?’”
Winwood’s voice doesn’t hide his annoyance at the doubters, but you get the impression that they motivate him. And after he competed for the Australian Olympic boxing team at the 2020 Tokyo Games, it may be safe to say that if you don’t believe in his pedigree as a boxer and respect his willingness to test himself at every turn, you’re probably not paying attention. But again, this doesn’t affect Winwood’s desire to go all-in on becoming a world champion and beating countryman Jeff Fenech’s record as the quickest Australian to earn world title honors. The Hall of Famer Fenech picked up his first world title in his seventh fight by beating Satoshi Shingaki for the IBF bantamweight crown in 1985. Nearly 40 years later, Winwood is chasing that glory, and while an Olympic medal would have been nice, he says that belt will be nicer.
“A world title is above and beyond anything in boxing,” he said. “It’s what you strive for, and yeah, Olympic gold is great, but it can’t hold a candle to a world title.”
So with the recently concluded Olympics in Paris, Winwood wasn’t at all salty about watching his nation compete, even though his own dream ended with a loss to Zambia’s Patrick Chinyemba in his first bout in Tokyo.
“It was a great experience,” he said of his time in the Olympics. “It was a highlight in my sporting career, and I was very happy to be a part of it. I wish COVID wasn’t a thing at that time; it would’ve made it a lot better. But yeah, it’s still the pinnacle of sports in terms of the biggest competition that they could put on around the world. So it was awesome. And I’m always very patriotic towards how Australia goes, especially in the Games, so I was keeping an eye on it.”
Now it’s back to his own quest for gold, and back to the question – at least the one posed by those outside of his inner circle: Is Winwood ready? His track record thus far says yes, as he’s beaten three consecutive opponents who had a combined 50-6-2 record, after a win over 3-2 Stinky Mario Bunda in his pro debut in November of 2022. Add in that Winwood has gone the 10-round distance in his last two victories over Reyneris Gutierrez and Cris Ganoza, and his confidence is at a high level less than a month away from his first world title fight.
“I’ve only had four fights, but three of those fights were people in the top 10,” said Winwood. “I’m not out here just fighting anyone. I’m fighting the best of the best and, obviously, I’m winning by big margins. I think the most I’ve lost in one fight is three rounds out of 10. So they’re not close fights. And I’m also learning on the job, as well. If I was stopping ’em all in the first and second round and things like that, it might be questions by the time we get to the world championship level. But I’ve been 10 rounds twice now and I haven’t had a problem with it. I feel like everything’s kind of come at the right time.”
He means it, too. Because, as Winwood admits, there is a difference between the amateurs and the pros, and it took him a while – in the gym and in fights – to get used to it. Luckily, he’s able to get the right sparring work at his weight class to adjust.
“At first, I didn’t realize the differences, but with the pacing of the fights, you’re not just trying to score,” he said. “You’re actually trying to land the punches and get off your tactics and whatever else. It took maybe half a year for me to start realizing that and sit in front and do a bit more without bouncing about. And that’s one thing I’ve noticed at the Olympics, just watching back, is the pacing of their fights. It’s like they’re touching, then they’re moving and everything looks sporadic, and I’m like, ‘Oh, their punches aren’t landing too well.’ They’re kind of just grazing off of them and nothing’s really good with the punches in what I’m watching, compared to a pro fight.”
Luckily, Winwood found this out sooner rather than later. Now he’s a true pro, four fights in, and about to make the walk for a career-altering fight. So what does he do for an encore?
“I’m not too sure,” he said with a laugh. “I hope some great things, but this is everything that I’ve dreamed of for a long time. So I’m just really enjoying the process of the whole lead-in to it, as well. I’m trying to appreciate getting up in the morning, going to training, the runs in the afternoon – just all the aspects of it – knowing that everything that I wanted, this is it now, and I’m trying to visualize it as much as possible.”
Thomas Gerbasi is currently a senior writer for BoxingScene.com, Women’s Boxing columnist for The Ring magazine, a contributor to Boxing News (UK) magazine, and a member of the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 in the non-participant wing. An award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, Gerbasi is also the author of five books. His amateur boxing record was 0-1.
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