Julaton Returns Home

Julaton Returns Home Back in December of 2009, Ana Julaton defeated veteran Donna Biggers before a raucous and supportive crowd in San Jose, California to claim the vacant WBO 122-pound title. Now, a little over a year later, the wildly popular Julaton returns to the Bay Area, defending the title against veteran Franchesca Alcanter at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, California this Friday night. Unlike the last time Julaton (7-2-1, 1 KO) of Daly City, California fought in the Bay Area, this time around she trained away from home. “It was definitely a change of pace,” said Julaton. “I miss everyone at home and all my friends and family, but it feels really good to be training at the Wild Card Gym. There are a lot of exceptional fighters over there, all getting ready for a fight. Just being able to be in that whole boxing element, I feel like I am at an academy or school of professional boxing. So being able to immerse myself in the world of professional boxing, I feel it has been a good camp.” Julaton began her professional career training at the Wild Card in Hollywood, California under Freddie Roach and the two reunited prior to her last bout, a June 2010 title defense against Maria Villalobos. “Freddie pushes really hard,” said Julaton. “Everything went really well though.” As always, the services of Roach are a well sought after commodity, but Julaton was able to get her share of time with the esteemed trainer. “There are lots of other fighters getting ready for a fight, and I feel lucky and fortunate that he is spending the time to look at my stuff,” said Julaton. “But I make sure I do my part and listen and push myself really hard. So far it has been working out really well.” Julaton’s primary sparring partner in Hollywood was former world champion Rodel Mayol. “He has been helping me a lot,” says Julaton. “He helps me work, and he will capitalize on all my mistakes, and he will punish me. Overall it has been humbling. It puts a lot of emphasis and focus on the sparring, making sure that I am sharp and stuff. So it has been great.” Sandwiched in between Julaton’s title-winning effort over Biggers and her upcoming defense was a rollercoaster 2010. Julaton signed with Orion Sports Management and took her title to Canada in hopes of winning the WBA version against Lisa Brown. The trip proved fruitless, as Brown won a convincing decision. Before her next bout just three months later, Julaton left trainer Nonito Donaire Sr. and rejoined Roach in Hollywood before regaining the WBO title with the points win over Villalobos. Julaton’s team hoped to line up another bout before the end of the year, but a fight did not to fruition until now. Despite some disappointments, Julaton does not look back on the year with any regrets. “I don’t take anything back about how everything has happened so far over the past year,” said Julaton. “I really got to spend a lot of time on just getting back to Freddie’s style as well as incorporating all of the stuff I learned from Nonito Sr. It also has really helped get me to look at this year as a fresh start and taking it one fight at a time.” As has been the case for most of her professional career, the next fight for Julaton comes against a more experienced veteran opponent, Franchesca Alcanter (18-9-1, 9 KOs) of Kansas City, Missouri. In her most recent ring appearance, Alcanter hung tough with the well respected Ina Menzer in a failed attempt at a 126-pound title in Germany in May of 2009. “I saw her last fight with Menzer,” reveals Julaton. “She’s very experienced. She has been in multiple world championship fights and she fights at 130, 126 weight classes. This fight will be at 122, so she is a bigger girl coming down to a smaller weight division. I know she’s taking this fight very seriously and she is training really hard to try and take the WBO title away from me.” For those reasons, Julaton expects a challenge Friday night. “For every title fight that I go into, I expect to be sharp and strong for all ten rounds. Overall it’s going to be a great fight.” Local fight fans should plan on being in attendance this Friday in Richmond if they want to see a Julaton fight live in 2011, as her team is already working on potential dates in the Philippines and Canada. “Since winning the title, I have had the opportunity to fight in Canada, and I am looking into the possibility of fighting internationally, and I don’t know when I will be able to come back home again and fight in the Bay Area,” says Julaton. There is the possibility that Julaton may never again fight in her home area. If she was sticking to the timetable she set for her career a couple of years ago, Friday’s fight would not even be taking place. “It’s so funny being able to sit back a think about all the stuff I used to say back then, like how I wanted to be able to retire by the time I was 30,” says Julaton, who turned 30-years-old last year. “As far as how long will I stay in this sport? It is really hard to say. I just feel inspired and I fall in love with the sport more and more. I know there will be a point in my life when I will not have this anymore. I am just taking it one fight at a time. I want to see how far I can go. Maybe three or four, or four or five more big fights. But you never know.” Photo by Alfredo Perez Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached [email protected]..

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