Ana Julaton: The lady with a killer punch

HOLLYWOOD, California — She’s every inch a lady. She’s so pretty, so demure and so sweet that when we enter the Japanese restaurant Koji at the fifth floor of Kodak Theater and I ask the waiter who he thinks the lady with us is, he breaks into a wide smile and exclaims, “A beauty queen!”

Guess again. With her, as they’d say, “Coca-Cola body” fully made up for this appointment, Ana Julaton could indeed pass for a beauty queen but she’s actually a lady boxer. She delivers a killer punch in the ring but today, while leisurely enjoying a late lunch of sushi, she’s merely herself. A lady with a killer smile. Her long hair, braided when she fights, hangs freely down her back.

Nicknamed The Hurricane, Ana (July 5, 1980) stands 5’4”, weighs 122 lbs., with a reach of 63” and measures….oops! “Never mind,” she begs off, blushing. She was born (to both Filipino parents) and raised in San Francisco, California. She looks very Filipino but speaks very little Tagalog.

With us at lunch are Ana’s manager Angelo Reyes (also Filipino), US Immigration officer Tim Evans and immigration lawyer Jemela Nettles (who set the meeting, she being good friends with Ana).

Angelo gives me a copy of Ana’s resume that lists her as belonging to the Super Bantamweight Division and includes her sterling record since 2004 when she entered the ring as an amateur (until 2007) and graduated to the Professional Division. So far, she has chalked up seven wins (including WBA Super Bantamweight World Champion and IBA Super Bantamweight World Champion, both in 2009), recorded one draw and two losses. Also on her resume: Ana is the first and only American female to win the prestigious WBO World Championship; others in that league are Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto and Oscar De La Hoya whom Manny has beaten in title bouts.

“She’s also the first ever female fighter to be represented by the TOPPS Trading Card organization,” volunteers Angelo. “Founded in 1938, TOPPS is the preeminent creator and brand marketer of sports cards, entertainment products and distinctive confectionery. Pacquiao is also among the athletes endorsed by TOPPS.”

Ana shares one more thing with Pacquiao — they both train under Freddie Roach at the Wild Card gym in L.A. In fact, after our lunch, Ana will rush to the Wild Card to train for a forthcoming non-title bout with a Mexican boxer. She has been under Roach since 2006.

Has she tried sparring with Pacquiao?

“No,” Ana smiles. “He’s too strong.”

What about with Roach?

“Oh yes, I did.”

Has she hit him?

“Yes. A couple of times.”

She has met Pacquiao.

Any piece of advice from him?

“He told me, ‘Don’t get hit.’ That’s all.”

Tim, Jemela and I are more interested in Ana off the ring than she’s in it.

She reveals that she has a lot of “souvenirs” from her bouts, one of them a scar above her right eye which she covers with eye shadow.

How did she get into a tough field most women fear to tread?

“My father was into martial arts and he was the one who got me interested in it. Only me, not my younger brother who is my opposite. He makes video games. Our mom is a car dealer. My dad introduced me to martial arts when I was four years old and I started sparring with him when I was 10. He’s a fan of Bruce Lee and he’d watch Bruce Lee movies with me all the time. I grew up on martial arts. I even taught my playmates martial arts.”

Born in the Philippines, her dad, Cesario Cariaso Julaton, migrated to the US when he was three years old; and her mother, Amelia Bonifacio, when she was 17. The Julatons live in Daly City. Only her mom speaks Tagalog.

“I’ve been to the Philippines a few times,” she reminds us; her last visit was last year as guest of GMA 7.

Echoing Angelo’s wish, Ana says that she fervently hopes to stage a bout in the Philippines so she can show her kababayan what stuff she’s made of. Any interested promoter out there?

“That’s what we need,” says Angelo. “A promoter in the Philippines.”

Aren’t prospective suitors intimidated with (or scared of) her?

“I hope not!”

She’s mum about her love life and makes no comment when we ask her about the rumor that Erik Spoelstra, the half-Filipino coach of Miami Heat, is (or was?) her boyfriend. (Spoelstra was in Manila last year to conduct a basketball clinic among professional players and aspiring ones.)

“He’s inviting me to watch the games,” she shares. (Miami Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 the other day in Miami, Florida.)

How does she maintain her body? (“Very firm,” says Tim. “And very tight,” adds Jemela.)

“Besides training at the Wild Card, I run every day. If your body is strong, you don’t have to worry about it so you can use your brain to set things up and make plans. My diet? I eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and mostly protein. Wow, I love to eat! Every time I go to the Philippines, I gain weight. The food there is irresistibly yummy.”

And how much sleep does she get per night?

“I should get eight but I’m a light sleeper, so I get only six to seven hours per night.”

Has anybody ever challenged her to a fight off the ring?

“So far,” Ana knocks on wood, “none. I hope nobody ever does.” Or else…

Thank God, nobody does on our way out of Kodak Theater. Instead, people stop and stare, for sure thinking they are looking at a “beauty queen” and not at a prize fighter.

Ana holds her killer punch and flashes her killer smile. Winner!!!

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