Boxing was a saviour for Alex Winwood growing up, and he hopes his shot at boxing history will help save other Indigenous kids as well.
Winwood will become the fastest Australian male to win a boxing world title if he defeats WBA minimum-weight champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong at HBF Stadium in Perth on Saturday night.
Jeff Fenech holds the current record after winning the IBF bantamweight world title in 1985 in what was just his seventh professional fight.
Winwood will be fighting for just the fifth time professionally when he takes on his Thai opponent, who boasts a perfect 24-0 record and has already defended his title 11 times since 2016.
The odds may be stacked against Winwood, but the proud Noongar fighter is used to it.
The 27-year-old did things the hard way growing up, but his introduction to boxing ensured there was light at the end of the tunnel.
Winwood was named the 2024 National NAIDOC Sportsperson of the Year, and he hopes his journey to being on the cusp of winning a world title will help inspire others.
“Boxing saved me. It’s had the biggest impact on my life,” Winwood said.
“I’m one of those generic stories that if boxing didn’t find me, I would have found something else to fill it with, and that would have been a bad situation to be in.
“I was going off the rails, and boxing has seen me, picked me, and I fell in love with the sport.
“Boxing removed me from that friend group I was hanging around with at the time, and gave me a direction in life that I’ve followed through.”
For a lot of Australian sporting fans, the minimum-weight division isn’t something they’re familiar with.
If that’s the case, Winwood says they’re in for a treat when they watch his fight.
“We are pocket rockets. We throw a lot of punches,” said the 158cm Winwood, who has to be under 48kg to make weight for the fight.
“I don’t really like heavyweight boxing because it’s too slow and you’re kind of waiting for a knockout, and it just doesn’t come sometimes.
“Whereas this, it’s action filled all the time. It’s like a James Bond movie. It’s just in your face all the time, so you’re never going away feeling ripped off.”
Niyomtrong hasn’t fought since July, 2022 – a break of more than two years that the Winwood camp feels will play in their favour.
“I think time out of the ring always affects boxers, especially when you’re getting to that age,” Winwood said.
“He’s 33 so he’s not going to be a spring chicken bouncing back and doing it as if he was 21 or 22.
“I think he’s going to find his timing’s off, his rhythm’s off.”
Winwood has plenty of high-profile support in his corner.
Angelo Hyder is his trainer, and former boxing champions Danny Green and Anthony Mundine are among his mentors.
Former IBF, WBA and WBO lightweight world champion George Kambosos Jr has also voiced his support for Winwood in the lead-up to Saturday night’s bout.
