Thammanoon Niyomtrong: Boxing Career and Notable Fights
Thailand’s Thammanoon Niyomtrong, known as Knockout CP Freshmart, held the WBA minimumweight title from 2016 until his November 2024 unification loss to Oscar Collazo.
Long WBA title run
Niyomtrong won the WBA title in 2016 and remained unbeaten through 25 professional victories. In September 2024 he retained the belt with a majority decision over Alex Winwood in Australia. Two months later, he met WBO champion Oscar Collazo in a unification bout in Riyadh; Collazo scored three knockdowns and stopped him in the seventh round, ending Niyomtrong’s undefeated record and WBA reign.
His championship record highlights an eight-year minimumweight title run and a unification challenge against another reigning champion.
Born in Surin, Niyomtrong first gained WBA interim recognition by defeating Carlos Buitrago. Three successful defenses followed before he faced the organization’s champion, Byron Rojas, in June 2016. A unanimous-decision victory over the Nicaraguan established the title reign for which he became best known.
The Rojas rivalry continued after their first meeting. Rojas rebuilt with eight consecutive victories and returned for a rematch in Chonburi in November 2018. Both men weighed 104.5 pounds, below the division’s 105-pound limit, and Niyomtrong entered the contest unbeaten in eighteen professional outings. The repeat meeting reflected the former champion’s return to contention during the Thai boxer’s extended reign.
His career is therefore best understood through the progression from interim titleholder to long-serving champion and eventually unification participant. Minimumweight is also called strawweight, and the different division names in fight reports refer to the same weight limit. That terminology helps connect his title defenses across international coverage.
Selected career results
Niyomtrong’s defenses included a July 20, 2022 meeting with Wanheng Menayothin in Chonburi. He won by unanimous decision, retaining the WBA belt against the former long-reigning WBC champion. This all-Thai matchup brought together two prominent minimumweights with separate championship histories and extended Niyomtrong’s unbeaten record to twenty-four victories at that point.
Sources
- WBA: Niyomtrong retains title against Alex Winwood
- The Ring: Winwood title defense
- The Ring: Niyomtrong–Collazo unification (Nov. 16, 2024)
Additional sources: WBA career profile; WBA Rojas rematch preview.
Sources: https://philboxing.com/story-163067
