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Boxing: Nonito Donaire voted as PBC Fighter of the Year

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Nonito Donaire knocks down France" s="" Nordine="" Oubaali="" in="" their="" bantamweight="" match.="" File="" photo.="" Sean="" Michael="" TGB="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/tvpatrol/01/03/oubaali-vs-donaire.jpg"/><figcaption>Nonito Donaire knocks down France&#x27;s Nordine Oubaali in their bantamweight match. File photo. <em>Sean Michael Ham, TGB Promotions.</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>World bantamweight champion Nonito &quot;The Filipino Flash&quot; Donaire capped his sensational 2021 by winning the Premier Boxing Champions&#x27; Fighter of the Year award.</p><p>Donaire, 39, defied Father Time in the past year as he registered a pair of thrilling knockout victories to once again become a world champion. </p><p>In May 2021, he returned from a long layoff to stop France&#x27;s Nordine Oubaali in the fourth round of their match and become the new WBC bantamweight champion. Donaire made the first defense of his title just last December 11, where he knocked out fellow Filipino fighter Reymart Gaballo in the fourth round.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/05/30/21/donaire-beats-oubaali-wbc-bantamweight">READ: Donaire stops Oubaali, earns WBC bantamweight belt</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/12/21/boxing-donaire-kos-gaballo-to-retain-wbc-title">READ: Donaire KOs Gaballo to retain WBC title</a></li></ul><p>For his efforts, &quot;The Filipino Flash&quot; was voted as the PBC&#x27;s Fighter of the Year via polls ran on their Twitter and YouTube accounts.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">With a combined 47.6% of the votes from our Twitter and YouTube polls, YOUR choice for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BestOfPBC2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BestOfPBC2021</a> FIGHTER OF THE YEAR is... WBC World Bantamweight Champion <a href="https://twitter.com/filipinoflash?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@filipinoflash</a>! 👏👏👏 <a href="https://t.co/3cdb9ahO1F">pic.twitter.com/3cdb9ahO1F</a></p>— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/premierboxing/status/1477024813738868738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2021</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>&quot;In 2021, 39-year-old Donaire proved age is just a number by once again becoming a world champion with a 4th-round knockout against Nordine Oubaali. Then, earlier this month, he defended that title against unbeaten Reymart Gaballo with yet another 4th-round KO,&quot; PBC noted.</p><p>But Donaire is optimistic that 2022 may be an even better year, as he aims to fulfill his ultimate goal of unifying all the belts in the bantamweight division.</p><p>The veteran boxer is targeting a unification match with Japan&#x27;s unbeaten Naoya Inoue, who holds the WBA, IBF, and The RING versions of the bantamweight titles. </p><p>Another Filipino, the controversial John Riel Casimero, holds the WBO bantamweight belt. </p><p>&quot;Unified, that&#x27;s what we&#x27;re looking for,&quot; Donaire declared after beating Gaballo in December. &quot;That&#x27;s what we&#x27;re going for -- unification. Unified champion of the world.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/13/21/donaire-confident-inoue-rematch-will-push-through">READ: Donaire confident Inoue rematch will push through</a></li></ul><p>Meanwhile, rising star Mark Magsayo earned Knockout of the Year honors for his brutal stoppage of Mexico&#x27;s Julio Ceja in their featherweight showdown last August 21.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The results are in! With a combined 42.4% of the votes from our Twitter and YouTube polls, YOUR choice for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BestOfPBC2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BestOfPBC2021</a> KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR is... <a href="https://twitter.com/markmagsayo_MMM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@markmagsayo_MMM</a>&#x27;s brutal 10th-round knockout over Julio Ceja from August 21st! 💥🥊<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KnockoutOfTheYear?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KnockoutOfTheYear</a> <a href="https://t.co/8fFlqgSRHR">pic.twitter.com/8fFlqgSRHR</a></p>— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/premierboxing/status/1476349122647052288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2021</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>The 26-year-old Magsayo rose from a knockdown in the fifth round to secure the victory with a pair of right hands that sent Ceja crashing to the canvas.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/08/22/21/boxing-magsayo-kos-ceja-in-thriller-stays-unbeaten">READ: Magsayo knocks out Julio Ceja in thriller, stays unbeaten</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/08/30/21/boxing-magsayo-not-dwelling-on-next-pacquiao-tag">READ: Magsayo not dwelling on &#x27;next Pacquiao&#x27; tag</a></li></ul><p>The victory hiked Magsayo&#x27;s record to a perfect 23-0, and put him in line for a shot at Gary Russell Jr.&#x27;s WBC featherweight crown. They will face off on January 22 at the Borgata Hotel Casino &amp; Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey.</p>

Nonito 'The Filipino Flash' Donaire capped his sensational 2021 by winning the Premier Boxing Champions' Fighter of the Year award.