Thammanoon Niyomtrong defeats Alex Winwood on points

THAMMANOON Niyomtrong retained his WBA minimumweight title with a narrow majority decision victory over Alex Winwood in Perth, Australia. Niyomtrong, also known as Knockout CP Freshmart, had held the title since 2016 but had not fought in over two years.

The judges scored it 113-113 and 114-112 twice in his favour. Winwood was knocked down twice, and ultimately, those points cost him.

Winwood came out confidently early, looking relaxed, boxing behind a smooth left jab. Just days shy of his 34th birthday and 26 months of ring rust, Niyomtrong searched for freshness as Winwood feinted regularly to dictate the range.

A Niyomtrong left hook in round three caused instant swelling around Winwood’s right eye and the challenger appeared to hit the canvas in round four. The referee ruled it a slip, but replays suggested a big left hook had caused a legitimate knockdown. 

The Thai champion had found his range by the middle rounds, although Winwood enjoyed success with his handspeed, switching between head and body. It was a back-and-forth affair but Niyomtrong’s punching power seemed to be the difference maker. It was about to swing momentum in his direction.

Winwood was dropped heavily on his back in round seven by a combination ending on a short right hand. The Aussie stumbled to the canvas twice more. Exhausted, with his eyes now both damaged, Winwood survived the round by a fraction.

Experienced cornerman Angelo Hyder tried to buy his man some valuable extra seconds by depositing ice around the corner before the eighth. Winwood took the respite and used his legs to box and move in the round, but was down again in the ninth from a cuffing left hand.

Every Winwood assault was met with appreciation from the Australian crowd. Niyomtrong was blocking and evading a large number of his shiny shots. The three judges liked Winwood’s swift style and the Thai champion’s heavier hands proved to be the difference.

“I dared to be great in only my fifth fight. Give me another shot!” roared Winwood. “This is not the last of me. I’ve got the best team in the world. You’ve seen great boxing and we want to continue it.”

Niyomtrong improves to 25-0 (9 KOs). Winwood is now 4-1 (2 KOs).