MARCOS Maidana beat Manny Pacquiao to the punch for The Ring Magazine’s “Comeback of the Year” award.
Maidana beat Pacquiao 38.2 percent to 35.1 percent in the websites fan poll.
Jhonny Gonzalez’s first round knockout performance over Abner Mares only landed him at third place with 12.1 percent of the votes at Ringtv.com.
Maidana moved up from the light welterweight division to the more stacked welterweight division last year. He had an unsuccessful welterweight debut and lost by unanimous decision to Devon Alexander.
He, however, would bounce back later the same year and beat Jesus Sotto Karass. Early this year, he would stop lesser known Angel Martinez and then also knockout spoiler Josesito Lopez.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, was less busy but his comeback was more dramatic. Last year, he dropped both his fights--a controversial split decision to Timothy Bradley, who everyone believed the Filipino superstar won. The other was one of his most brutal losses, a sixth round knockout loss to bitter rival Juan Manuel Marquez.
Some felt that it was the end of Pacquiao’s storied career, but the 35-year-old fighting congressman from Gen. Santos City proved his doubters wrong as he still had fight in him after a boxing clinic against outmatched Brandon Rios in Macau.
However, the worldwide fans believe that Maidana’s feat was more deserving for the 2013 “Comeback of the Year” honors.
