The World Boxing Council (WBC) paid homage to Filipino boxers Nonito Donaire and Mark Magsayo in their recent "The Best of 2021" list due to their respective contributions to boxing realm.
Donaire, alongside Jessica Gonzales, won the "Comeback of the Year" honor while Magsayo was named "Prospect of the Year."
Interestingly, both Filipinos emerged victorious in their respective bouts this year.
The 39-year-old Donaire captured the WBC bantamweight belt once more after dethroning Frenchman Nordine Oubaali with a fourth-round knockout.
The Filipino Flash replicated his efforts last weekend by scoring another fourth-round knockout against compatriot Reymart Gaballo, who was the interim bantamweight titleholder.
Donaire, who is planning to unify all the four major titles in the bantamweight division, improved to a 42-6 record on top of his 42 knockouts.
Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue is the reigning super WBA, IBF, and The Ring champion while John Riel Casimero, the WBO titleholder, was recently put on notice by the sanctioning body after missing his title defense against Paul Butler last week.
Magsayo, a product of MP (Manny Pacquiao) Promotions, for his part, remained undefeated in 23 matches with 16 KOs in his impressive resume.
The 26-year-old Leyte native boxer also won back-to-back matches against Pablo Cruz (TKO) in April and Julio Ceja (KO) in August.
Against Ceja, Magsayo captured the WBO International featherweight title and inched closer to a championship bout against Gary Russell Jr.
Recent reports disclosed that the Magsayo-Russell match is set for January 22 next year.