Manus took centre stage last year by clinching a gold medal in the 15th Asian Games in Qatar, silencing his critics that he would not succeed after a two-year absence from the ring.

There is no other female athlete who is more suitable for the award than Pawina who is the first athlete to shatter the world's record in three different divisions. Last year, she underlined her supremacy by claiming Thailand's first gold medal in the Asiad in 40 years with another record-shattering performance in the 63kg division.

The former World Boxing Association [WBA] junior bantamweight champion Khaosai, who holds a record of 19 title defences in the division, clinched the award, which the organiser Siam Sport Syndicate Plc, the publisher of the Thai-language Siam Sport newspaper, allowed fans to cast a vote for their favourite athletes.

The best professional athlete went to World Boxing Council flyweight champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (fighting as Pongsaklek Krating-daeng Gym) who is in line to break Khaosai's long-standing record, after successfully defending his title 16 times in a row.