Alex Winwood loses bid for history to Thammanoon Niyomtrong

Alex Winwood vowed to make a swift return to world level after losing to the WBA minimumweight champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong in Perth, Australia.

In only his fifth professional contest, the 27 year old was attempting to become the fastest Australian male to win a world title.

Niyomtrong’s experience and defensive awareness regardless proved too much of him, ensuring the Thai earned a majority decision via scores of 114-112, 114-112 and 113-113 at the HBF Stadium.

“I will be back – I dared to be great, against the longest-reigning world champion,” Winwood said, post-fight.

“My idea is to come back. Watch me be great again. Give me another shot.

“I thought it was a really hard fight. I got knocked down a couple of times, and that was the decision that swayed it all.

“If you get knocked down, the points get taken from you. But I still boxed like a champion for 12 rounds. 

“This is not the last of me.”

Winwood was knocked down in the fourth, seventh and ninth rounds. The 33-year-old Niyomtrong has therefore won all 25 of his professional fights, and Jeff Fenech remains the Australian male to have won a world title fastest – requiring seventh fights to win the IBF bantamweight title in 1985. 

Blake Minto had by then beaten Steve Gago at welterweight, via unanimous decision. There was also a unanimous-decision victory at flyweight for Louisa Hawton, over Viviana Ruiz.

Finally, at heavyweight, Lewis Clarke defeated Dylan Winter – also via unanimous decision.