Dominican Hector Garcia won the World Boxing Association (WBA) Revelation of the Year award, while William Zepeda received the Honorable Mention after an exceptional 2022 for both fighters.

Garcia fulfilled his great dream of becoming a world champion and had to overcome several barriers to achieve it. The now WBA super featherweight champion stepped into the ring with all odds against him to face Chris Colbert on February 26 and came out victorious after a dominant performance.

The Caribbean native knocked his opponent down on one occasion during round seven and nullified his style to take a clear victory on the scorecards. That victory allowed him to be the official challenger to the title held by Roger Gutierrez and on August 20 he faced the Venezuelan to win by decision and take the black and gold belt, which closed his great year.

For his part, Zepeda became known to the world as one of the most impressive young lightweight fighters. The Mexican made three fights in 2022 and won all of them to remain undefeated. 

He started in February with a knockout win over Luis Angel Viedas in Tijuana; then in May he defeated veteran Rene Alvarado by unanimous decision in Ontario to have his last performance of the year in October against the tough Joseph Diaz, whom he also defeated on the cards. 

The pioneering body congratulates Garcia and Zepeda on their distinctions, while wishing them a successful 2023 in and out of the ring.