Julaton Eyes Third World Title Saturday

This past December, rising Fil-Am star Ana Julaton claimed her second world title in just her eighth professional bout with a comprehensive ten-round decision over veteran Donna Biggers. On Saturday, Julaton will look to make it three-for-three, as she battles world class 122-pounder for the vacant WBA Super Bantamweight title at the Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario, Canada. Their ten-round title fight, the chief supporting bout to the Steve Molitor-Takalani Ndlovu rematch, will be streamed live on GoFightLive.tv as part of “Rumble at Rama XI.”

Julaton (6-1-1, 1 KO) of Daly City, continues to take the road less traveled en route to prominence in the realm of . With only a handful of pro bouts under her belt, Julaton knocked off one of the mainstays in women’s boxing last year when she decisioned Kelsey Jeffries to claim the IBA 122-pound title. Next up is another respected, perennial division leader and reigning WIBA kingpin Lisa Brown (16-4-3, 5 KOs). Adding additional intrigue, Julaton will be attempting to win the title on what amounts to Brown’s home turf. Brown, who has fought all over the world, resides in nearby Scarborough, Ontario.

The fact that the fight takes place near Brown’s home may be a sign of karmic justice. Brown, who has not fought in Canada in over three years, traveled all the way to South Korea for her last bout. In one of the worse decisions of recent years, Brown lost a ten-round decision to South Korea’s Hyo Min Kim. The highly controversial loss ended a four-fight winning streak for Brown.

To prepare for Brown, Julaton returned to train under the architect of her title victory over Jeffries, Sr. A scheduling conflict precluded Donaire from training Julaton for her last bout, but the team was been able to pick things up right from where they left off. “She is a very hard- working fighter,” says Donaire. “So I don’t have any problems training her.”

Donaire’s son, world class flyweight Glenn Donaire, was Julaton’s chief sparring partner in camp. “[Ana] is a hard working person, and it really makes you work hard,” said Glenn. “She is ready for this fight, and I know she can knock that girl out.” The younger Donaire was able to emulate the southpaw Brown’s style after studying the champion on film. “It is not hard emulating Lisa Brown, because she stands right here,” said Glenn a couple weeks ago. “I was happy about that. I don’t have to do too much. All I do is emulate her movement and how she throws her punches.”

Saturday’s fight marks the first time that Julaton has traveled outside of the western part of the United States for a fight as a professional. Julaton, the WBO/IBA Super Bantamweight Champion, feels that travel should be part of a world champion’s job description. “I feel the fans out there want to see a world champion that is willing to travel to other countries and fight the best fighters and beat them,” said Julaton. “It is very exciting for me, and I feel it is a great experience.”

If Julaton is able to defeat Brown on her home turf on Saturday and claim the WBA title, it would be perhaps the most impressive victory on an already impressive resume. “She is experienced, she’s game. She is a world champion, and that should say enough about her,” said the respectful Julaton of her opponent. “She wants to fight me, and I want to fight her, and we are going for the world title.” The fight can be seen LIVE on www.gofightlive.tv

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected].