Ana (Hurricane) Julaton returns to Casino Rama on June 30, and when she faces Mexico?s Maria Elena Villalobos in the co-main event of Rumble at Rama XII, she?ll be competing for much more than a world title.
After a lopsided loss in her Canadian debut two months ago, Julaton will be fighting to prove she deserves the ample attention she has received. She says she?s ready to deal with the pressure that comes with this shot at redemption.
?All I need to do is make sure I do my job. For me, it?s all about my attitude,? Julaton said Thursday at a news conference in North York. ?There?s always going to be pressure, it?s just a matter of what you?re focusing your energy on. My concern is the fight.?
Like Julaton, Villalobos is a veteran of nine professional fights (six wins, three losses) who fought for a world title earlier this spring, and like Julaton she lost her title shot in a 10-round unanimous decision.
In March, Julaton, a first-generation Filipina-American from Daly City, Calif., rode a tidal wave of hype into her first bout at Rama. At the time she had fought only eight times as a pro, but ESPN?s news magazine show E:60 had already filmed a feature on her, and her post-fight plans included a meeting with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and a reception in the Philippines with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
But before the victory tour happened, Toronto?s Lisa Brown administered a brutal boxing lesson over 10 rounds, winning nearly every round in claiming the WBA 122-pound title.
The loss didn?t damage Julaton?s popularity in the Philippines or the star potential her promoters at Orion Sports Management see in the 29-year-old. Instead of dropping her after the loss to Brown, Orion devoted even more resources to Julaton, acquiring her worldwide promotional rights and bringing her back to Rama immediately.
Promoter Allan Tremblay, who also promotes IBF 122-pound men?s champ Steve Molitor, remains confident Julaton can turn boxing titles into crossover stardom.
?She?s drop-dead gorgeous and can fight, so she?s almost a marketing dream,? he said.
That Tremblay mentions Julaton?s physical beauty isn?t a coincidence: she has fashion-model looks and deals easily with the media. Those two traits combine to make her more marketable than the vast majority of pro athletes, male or female, and could set her up to follow Laila Ali as the next mainstream star of women?s boxing.
But the reality is that if Julaton can?t bolster her modest record (6-2-1) with a string of big wins, she risks becoming the Anna Kournikova of the ring, a heavily hyped beauty whose credentials never match her looks.
Aware of the stakes for her upcoming fight, Julaton?s management team re-enlisted top trainer Freddie Roach, who coached Julaton through her first six pro fights.
The pair split amicably about a year ago, as guiding the career of WBO 147-pound champ Manny Pacquiao consumed more and more of Roach?s time.
But Pacquiao is now a freshly elected congressman in the Philippines, giving Roach the time to take on new clients. He agreed to train Julaton for her June bout and vows to return her to the aggressive style that first made her successful.
?When I got to work with him for the first time last week, the connection was still there but it was a little stronger,? Julaton said. ?It?s a real fight as soon as you get into (Roach?s) Wild Card Gym.?
