WBO superbantamweight champion Nonito ‘The Filipino Flash’ Donaire received yesterday the 2012 Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) Sugar Ray Robinson “Fighter of The Year” award at the 88th Annual BWAA Awards Dinner in New York.
The BWAA Fighter of the Year Awards started in 1938 and was renamed after boxing great Sugar Ray Robinson, who won Fighter of the Year in 1950.
Donaire is the second Filipino to win the prestigious award after Manny Pacquiao, who won the BWAA Fighter of the year accolade thrice in 2006, 2008 and 2009.
Donaire has won four world division titles while Pacquiao has annexed a record eight world crowns. Both are from General Santos City, Philippines.
Odds-makers established Donaire as the betting favorite when he fights WBA superbantamweight champion Guillermo ‘The Jackal’ Rigondeaux of Cuba in a unification battle at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 14 Sunday in the Philippines.
Depending on the online betting website, Donaire is pegged at -220 to -250, which means a bet of 220 to 250 dollars on Donaire (31W-1L, 20 KOs) will win 100 dollars while betting 100 dollars on a victory by Rigondeaux (11W-0L, 8 KOs) will net between 180 to 187 dollars.
The official weigh-in of the adversaries will be on April 13 Saturday morning (Philippine Time).