Mandurah boxing star Alex Winwood confirmed his dominance of the Australian light flyweight category with an immaculate title-defence win over Josh Humberdross at the Australian Boxing Championships in Sydney a fortnight ago.
The 20-year-old prodigy was as good as gold in his bout with the Queensland-based challenger, winning 5-0 on the scorecard after an early barrage set the tone for the three rounds.
The champ was thrilled with the way he was able to dictate the early going, saying it had been a key part of his preparation.
“We were really well-prepared and I wanted to get out there and make sure I got in early with a few punches,” he said.
“He (Humberdross) looked like he was standing back a bit waiting for me to make a move, so I did.
“I wanted to take charge so I’m really glad I was able to do that, get the job done and hold onto the title.
“Being an Australian title holder is something that’s really special to me, so I’ll always do my best to hold onto that top ranking.”
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The win comes off the back of a grueling seven-week training regime that saw Winwood in the ring at his local Eureka Boxing gym six days a week.
But the tiresome work was worth it in the end, with the top-ranked fighter praising coach Brian Satori and his preparation for having him in the perfect shape to defend his crown.
“We worked really hard in the lead-up, and fitness was a priority before the fight,” he said.
“In the end I was really happy with the plan we had, and the shape I was in, and we got the result.
“Making sure we defended the title was a goal of our’s for some time so to get the job done is awesome.”
Winwood will now be able to enjoy a short break before setting his sights on earning a bout at the 2019 world championships in Russia.
But the boxer said being a title holder wouldn’t allow him to take his foot off the pedal.
“Any fight you have or even just sparring, people are going to bring their best at you because they want to test themselves against the top rank,” he said.
“So you never really ease off the training – the only way to get better is with hard work.”