Knockout CP Freshmart Edges Winwood To Retain WBA Title

Knockout CP Freshmart Rallies to Defeat Alex Winwood

At the HBF Arena in Joondalup, Australia, Knockout CP Freshmart (25-0, 9 KOs) put the WBA minimumweight title on the line against the mandatory challenger Alex Winwood (4-1, 2 KOs). Freshmart is the longest reigning active world champion at 105.

However, in recent years, his career has been riddled with inactivity. This contest was his first fight since a unanimous decision over countryman and former long-reigning champion Wanheng Menayothin in July 2022.

He faced Winwood, who represented his home country of Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Since turning pro in September 2022, he has impressed and quickly shot up the world rankings. Fighting on home turf, the mandatory came into this fight full of confidence.

A TALE OF TWO HALVES

Winwood used his jab and advantage in speed to outbox the champion in the first three rounds. In the final thirty seconds of round four, CP Freshmart landed with a hard right hand that put the challenger down. However, what appeared to be a knockdown was instead ruled a slip by the referee.

CP Freshmart got off to a slow start. At the halfway mark of the fight, you could see he was shaking off the rust and gaining more confidence. The champion’s power and experience came to the forefront during the second half of the fight as he knocked the Aussie down in rounds seven and nine. The champion poured on the pressure as he landed combinations to Winwood’s head and body.

Winwood tried to counter, but CP Freshmart had all the momentum. In what turned out to be a close fight, the judges scored the fight in favor of the defending champion by a majority decision (113-113, 114-112, 114-112).

Featured Article: Blair Cobbs: “I’m A Name Now; Jaron Boots Ennis Is Not A Name!”