Rising super bantamweight prospect Ana Julaton is rapidly getting the attention of the boxing fans around the world. Trained by famed fight trainer Freddie Roach and mentored by the legendary Manny Pacquiao, Julaton has nothing but a bright future ahead of her. Ana is coming off of a very impressive first round knockout over Salina Jordan, but goes right back to work July 5th. Ana will face the tough Johana Mendez as part of the Top Rank card featuring Kendall Holt vs. Ricardo Torres on Saturday. BoxingHerald.com welcomes Ana Julaton!
BH ? Ana, thanks for joining us.
AJ ? Thanks for having me.
BH ? Give me your thoughts on this big fight coming up, and give me your thoughts on the training camp that you had leading up to the fight.
AJ ? I am really excited about this fight. I am very thankful to Top Rank for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this card. My opponent is a solid one; she’s undefeated. She placed second at the Nationals last year, so she has a solid amateur background. I am looking forward to an awesome fight. She wants to win, but so do I, so hopefully I will get in there and give the fans what they want to see.
BH ? You’re trained by Freddie Roach. You train at The Wild Card Gym along side Manny Pacquiao. Talk about that experience.
AJ ? Well, it’s an honor to be even in the Wild Card Gym. To be able to share time with Manny Pacquiao, and train with Freddie Roach is amazing. Freddie makes me feel confident; he also tells me right away when I am not doing what I am supposed to be doing. Freddie makes sure that when I don’t do what I am supposed to do, he demands a lot more out of me, and I appreciate that. To be around Manny Pacquiao, and to be able to learn from him, to watch him, is so intense. He makes it look so easy; he’s so fast, his feet are fast, his hands are fast — just amazing. I watched him shadow boxing one time; he was so fast that he looked like the Tasmanian Devil in there. The most important thing to me is to do what Freddie asks me to do. I am honored, and when I turn 60 years old, I will look back and say ‘wow.’
BH ? Have you had much time to sit and talk with Manny in private, and get his advice on boxing?
AJ ? It’s really hard to get a lot of time with him because he’s always so busy. Sometimes he will crack some jokes right before my workouts (laughs). Manny got upset with me when he found out that I don’t speak Tagalog. Manny is like a big brother to me, and sometimes when I am not sure about something, he will help me out. Manny helped me one time when I was moving up from a 4 rounder to a 6 rounder. I asked Manny what I should do in a 6 rounder. Manny told me to make sure that I use both of my hands against this opponent. I had to think about it, and afterwards it hit me. When I was fighting her, we did a lot of holding and grabbing, and I noticed how I wasn’t using my left hand like I should. It was interesting how Manny knew exactly what to say to me. Manny has been a very important role for me and my boxing career, and I am very thankful.
BH ? You mentioned that you don’t speak Tagalog. The more successful you become, the more pressure those hardcore Philippine fans will put on you to learn Tagalog (laughs).
AH ? There’s always been some sort of pressure on me ever since the amateurs. Coming into the pro [ranks], I feel that I expect things more now. I have that in mind, but I don’t let that get to me. I feel so confident with Freddie Roach, and I will take any challenge that they put ahead of me.
BH ? When you win your first world title, will you go to The Philipines and share your title with your fans over there?
AH ? I would love to do that. I have never been to The Philipines before, so I would love to go over there.
BH ? Your future seems bright, and obviously you want to be a world champion. Is there any fighter in particular that you have your radar on?
AH ? I will just maintain my focus on what I need to do first. When I am in the ring, I feel that the only opponent that I have is myself. Having a martial arts background, I feel that there is always a counter attack to everything, and I feel that I have been doing that thus far. I give respect to any fighter that gets into the ring, but as far as picking one name out, I don’t have any.
BH ? You got the first knockout of your career with your last victory. Talk about how that has impacted your confidence.
AJ ? Oh man, I didn’t really expect that to happen. I just wanted to get in there and work. Freddie got more intense with me as far as following the game plan. Right before the bell rang, he shouted out like three instructions at one time at me (laughs)! I just wanted to out there and do what he told me, so I started fast, and yeah, when I got the knockout, I didn’t expect it.
BH ? You need to tell Freddie to shout out three commands at you more in the future (laughs).
AJ ? (laughing), Yeah it took me by surprise.
BH ? Who are some female fighters that you look up to?
AJ ? Oh, definitely Carina Moreno (WBC female minimumweight champion); she is the WBC female fighter of the year. She is an amazing boxer, and she’s not only my friend, but she’s someone that I look up to.
BH ? Christy Martin is the pioneer of womens boxing. What are your thoughts on her?
AJ ? Christy opened the doors for all of the female boxers out there. Christy got a lot of exposure, and she always seemed so confident. I give her a lot of respect, that’s for sure.
BH ? What do you think women’s boxing needs to improve its popularity nationally?
AJ ? I think it needs a household name again. The fights are very competitive, so that’s not the problem. I think what will help is to create a name, like a Laila Ali, or a Christy Martin again. In the MMA, they have Gina Carano, so I think if we get more names like that, it will help women’s boxing.
BH ? Ana, thanks for joining us. Do you have any closing thoughts for your fans?
AH ? I want to thank everyone for your support. Thank you Bob Arum at Top Rank, and thank you Freddie Roach, and all the people at Wild Card Gym. Thank you to the Philippine community.
