Singapore muay thai fighter Winnia Leow’s confidence boosted by strong finish in 2025

SINGAPORE – Disappointment can be a powerful motivator. In the case of Singaporean muay thai fighter Winnia Leow, it served to propel her to a three-match winning streak and top of the world rankings.

Just eight months ago, the 26-year-old was gutted after falling short in her quest for the International Sport Kickboxing Association (ISKA) flyweight world title.

While the manner of her 3-2 loss to defending champion Kim Townsend in April was tough to take, she matched her Australian opponent in the early rounds and reinforced the belief that she could compete against the world’s best.

She recalled: “There are many people who can walk away from that loss and say it’s okay, I did well, I put up a good fight.

“The flip side is actually my team was very upset, not because I was not good, but because it was so close I could have won.

“But why I lost was because I didn’t go for it.

“I didn’t leave everything in the ring, I was holding back a lot in the last two rounds.”

In May, she was back in the ring, this time taking on Thailand’s Zaidania Looksaikongdin in the Rajadamnern World Series (RWS).

The odds were against Leow and it did not help that a vociferous home crowd in Bangkok were all cheering Zaidania on.

She lost the first round, but dug deep to produce a stunning upset, which gave her a boost of confidence.

Leow then fought twice again in the RWS, posting wins against Thais Kaokanok Wor.Chakrawut and Namwan Sor.Khongkrapan, to finish the year with a perfect record in the promotion.

Her performances have seen her move up the world rankings – she is the World Muay Thai Organisation’s top light flyweight fighter and sits fourth in the World Boxing Council Muay Thai light flyweight list.

Looking back on 2025, Leow said: “It (the fight against then 14-time world champion Townsend) was a wake-up call that I could have had it, that I could have beaten a legend, but I didn’t.

“But it also gave me affirmation that I’m good enough and I can go head-to-head with the best.

“It (the year) started out pretty bad then it just went crazy, then it got better and it was 3-0.

“Then I got the highest rankings I’ve ever gotten, which was a pleasant surprise.”

With the strong finish to 2025, Leow hopes to have the chance to contest for the Rajadamnern belt in the future.

Noting that she still has room for improvement in areas like strength, conditioning and nutrition, she believes she has the potential to develop even more.

She is surprised by the progress she made, having only done the sport professionally for over two years, and credited her team at mixed martial arts gym Pineapple MMA, where she trains.

She said: “This year, with the 3-0 win streak in RWS, I feel like I’m now recognised globally in muay thai as one of the stronger contenders.

“I’m not just a random girl from Singapore that’s fighting in Thailand. I’m with the group of people who are good in their country, the best in their sport.”

Pineapple MMA founder Nigel Smith is proud of Leow’s growth.

He said: “The hardest thing for athletes... everyone talks about the hard work, but they don’t really realise what the hard work is.

“I think making yourself uncomfortable, putting yourself in difficult positions, not just in training but accepting certain fights, like the fight against Kim.

“She was a massive underdog, her win against Zaidania, who is a huge name in the muay thai world.

“Taking that fight, a lot of people thought we were stupid.

“But fighting people like her and Kim, that’s where the biggest growth came from, and the realisation that (Leow) can compete with these girls.”