When super bantamweight champion Ana (The Hurricane) Julaton enters the ring, heads turn.
In 2006, she caught Manny Pacquiao's attention when the then-featherweight champion spotted her at an amateur tournament in California and invited her to work with him and trainer Freddie Roach.
Eight fights and two world titles into her pro career, the San Francisco native has attracted ESPN's attention too, and the network will feature her next month in the season premier of the news magazine show E:60.
Saturday night at Casino Rama
Julaton (pronounced HU-la-ton) meets Toronto's Lisa Brown (16-4-3, 5 KO) for the vacant WBA 122-pound crown, and the 29-year-old hopes a win in her Canadian debut will further boost her profile. After signing a two-year contract with Brampton-based Orion sports management, Julaton is committed to making an impact here."I fell in love with downtown (Toronto) right away. For me it feels just like home," said Julaton, who is 6-1-1 with two knockouts. "I feel like I can relate (to Canadian fans)."
Wednesday's public workout at Krudar Muay Thai marked Julaton's first official meet-and-greet with the Canadian media, but she's already used to the spotlight.
A first-generation Filipina-American, Julaton makes headlines in the Philippines each time she fights, and Wedneday's media session included a TV crew that had flown in from Manila.
If she defeats Brown on Saturday, officials in Manila have already planned a tickertape parade in Julaton's honour. According to manager Angelo Reyes, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also plans to congratulate the fighter personally if she wins.
That's a lot of acclaim for a fighter with fewer than 10 pro bouts, but nobody in Julaton's camp worries about the attention swelling her head. The fighter says her first pro loss taught her humility.
Eager to win a title in her first year as a pro, Julaton dropped an eight-round decision to Dominga Olivo in an August 2008 title shot, and says the loss taught her to take nothing for granted. Especially fame.
"After that fight I took a year off. ... It actually gave me time to sit back and focus and reorganize myself," said Julaton, who moonlights as a martial arts instructor in Daly City, Calif. "To be at the top of the game, you have to be able to juggle the physical aspect and also the entertainment aspect of it. For me, my first priority is being an athlete. I'm not looking past this fight."
If Julaton keeps winning, Reyes says she could become the next crossover star in a sport – women's boxing – he says is set to explode.
Reyes believes a group of women with the right combination of skill and charisma can do for women's boxing what female stars have done for tennis: Keep it on the map when fans lose interest in the men.
Of course, Reyes sees Julaton as a central figure in the mainstreaming of women's boxing, but gained no traction when he pitched his grand vision to big promoters like Golden Boy and Top Rank. But he found a willing listener in Orion's Allan Tremblay.
Orion needs other stars to complement former 122-pound champ Steve Molitor, and after the success Orion had selling teenage star Marvin Sonsona to the local Filipino community, Tremblay knew he had a market for Julaton too.
"He told me the market for Ana is in Toronto," Reyes said. "I will say that we have arrived when I can go to the networks and say we're putting Ana Julaton as the main event in Toronto. Ana can get there so long as she keeps winning."
mcampbell@thestar.ca
Source: thestar.com
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