WBA world featherweight champion Carl Frampton has been named Fighter of the Year for 2016 by The Ring Magazine.

The 29-year-old impressed in victories over Scott Quigg and the previously undefeated Leo Santa Cruz, a man he will face in a rematch this month.

Frampton had stepped up a division after unifying the IBF and WBA super-bantamweight titles with his win over Quigg last February.

The Northern Irishman then prevailed via a majority points decision in another strong showing against Santa Cruz in New York in July.

"Obviously it's a huge honour," Frampton told Ring Magazine. "Toward the end of the year I picked up fighter of the year on some websites, but The Ring Magazine, that's the one. I'm very, very proud of that."

Frampton, who edged out Terence Crawford, Roman Gonzalez, Vasyl Lomachenko and Manny Pacquiao for the award, added: "I had an amazing year last year.

"I unified at 122 [lbs] and moved up and fought a great fighter at featherweight in Leo Santa Cruz. The year went pretty much to plan. It couldn't have went better."

The Frampton versus Santa Cruz rematch takes place in Las Vegas on January 28.