Winwood falls short of Olympic dream

Winwood needed to finish in the top four to claim a Rio berth.

The 18-year-old performed admirably in the tournament but was eventually defeated by the Turkish super flyweight champion, ending his 2016 Olympic aspirations.

But Winwood’s coach Brian Satori said the tournament was an effort to be proud of.

“I’m really happy with how Alex went about his business in Azerbaijan – he gave it his all and can hold his head high,” he said.

“Obviously it’s hard to stomach defeat at any point but Alex is really young and has plenty of time in the ring ahead of him, so we’ll continue to train and keep our eyes on upcoming goals we want to reach.”

At just 18-years-old, there is plenty of time for Winwood to continue his ascent of the boxing ranks.

Since beginning senior boxing just eight months ago and boxing in general just three years ago, he has been a force to be reckoned with in the ring.

He has already claimed the title of Australian super flyweight champion and built an impressive record of 19 wins, six losses before the Azerbaijan tournament.

Satori said Winwood had plenty of time to grow as a boxer.

“He’s only been boxing for three years and some of the guys he’s coming up against – and competing with blow for blow – have almost 10 years of experience in the ring,” he said.

“Considering 12 months ago Rio wasn’t even on his radar and he managed to get this far in a short space of time, it’s very impressive.

“Alex is still three or four years away from his prime and is already challenging for Olympic spots, so he’s in a really good position to be in.”

The duo are now turning their focus toward the Austral-Asian Golden Gloves tournament to be held in Perth in July.

Satori said the tournament will be Alex’s last before a well-deserved break.

“We’ll be out to take out the top prize at the golden gloves tournament, but so will every other boxer there so we’ll need to work really hard,” he said.

“Then it’s important to give Alex a break as we look forward to next year and try out for the Australian team again.”

But Satori admitted Winwood’s weight class would likely need to drop.

“At the moment he’s fighting in the 52 kilogram class, and with his youth he probably needs to be around the 49 kilogram weight,” he said.

“We’ll be aiming for a spot in the Commonwealth Games in two years’ time so it’s all about the correct scheduling and training from here on out.”

The Austral-Asian Golden Gloves tournament will be held in Perth from July 8 – 10.