Alex Winwood due back March 14 in first fight since loss to Knockout CP Freshmart

Strawweight contender Alex Winwood will return in his first fight since a September loss to Knockout CP Freshmart.

Winwood, 4-1 (2 KOs), will take on Jerry Francisco, 10-3 (2 KOs), on March 14 at Metro City in Northbridge, Western Australia, according to Tony Tolj, who manages Winwood. Northbridge is about an hour north of where the 27-year-old Winwood lives.

Winwood dropped a narrow majority decision in September to Freshmart, who at the time held the WBA title at 105lbs. The scores were 114-112 (twice) and 113-113. Freshmart subsequently lost the WBA belt to Oscar Collazo in a November unification bout.

Winwood competed as a flyweight in the 2020/2021 Olympics but did not advance beyond his first tournament match. He turned pro in November 2022, winning his first four bouts before taking on Freshmart.

“I faced the longest-reigning world champion, daring to be great,” Winwood posted on Instagram days after the Freshmart loss. “Despite being knocked down twice, breaking my nose and leaving the ring bruised, I got back up each time. This fight wasn’t a setback; it’s the start of something greater.”

Francisco is also coming off a defeat. The 27-year-old, who hails from General Santos City in the Philippines, suffered a seventh-round knockout loss to strawweight contender DianXing Zhu in August. Francisco has lost three of his last six fights.

Winwood is ranked sixth by the WBC and ninth by the IBF. Francisco is not currently ranked by any of the major sanctioning bodies.