Four-division world champion Nonito Donaire Jr. is voted as The RING Magazine’s 2012 Fighter of the Year. The Filipino Flash's impressive wins this year sealed for him one of boxing's most-coveted titles.
The award is another feather to Nonito Donaire's cap as he was also hailed ESPN's "Boxer of the Year" a few days ago.
The award is another feather to Nonito Donaire's cap as he was also hailed ESPN's "Boxer of the Year" a few days ago.
Nonito Donaire (31-1, 20 knockouts) garnered 55.2% of the votes in RingTV.com's year-end poll to capture a landslide win over closest competitor to the title, Juan Manuel Marquez, who received only 27.3% of the votes.
Ring Magazine editor Doug Fischer said that Marquez may have scored the Knockout of the Year in the Fight of the Year by icing his arch rival Manny Pacquiao in the sixth round, but fight fans recognized Donaire accomplishing more than the Mexican legend inside and outside the ring.
Among those elite fighters – those precious few who fans and boxing media view as the pound-for-pound best, seldom fight more than twice a year – Donaire was the busiest this year.
"The 30-year-old veteran fought four times in 2012 and in the process of doing so the former flyweight and bantamweight titleholder established himself as the best 122-pound fighter on the planet, as well as the Fighter of the Year in the eyes of the fans who took part in RingTV.com’s year-end awards poll," Fischer reported.
Just like ESPN's Dan Rafael, Fischer also commended Donaire for being the only high-profile professional boxer who is willing to commit to comprehensive year-round drug testing conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).
