Julaton cops WBO super bantam belt

MANILA, Philippines - Fil-Am Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton hacked out a split decision win over Mexico’s Maria Elena Villalobos to capture the vacant World Boxing Organization female super-bantamweight crown in Ontario, Canada Wednesday night.

With noted trainer Freddie Roach back at her corner, the Daly City-based Julaton got back into the winning groove again, beating the Mexican for her seventh victory against two losses and a draw.

“My opponent (Villalobos) was very strong. But I feel like I had an effective game plan, I stuck to it and we came up successful,” Julaton, who had previously won the International Boxing Association’s female super-bantamweight title, said in a TV interview.

Roach’s fight plan basically required the usually on-rushing Julaton to box more against Villalobos.

“He wanted me to box a little more, use my jab and control the ring using the jab because I feel like going there and fight and slug it out. He doesn’t want me to do that so much for this fight. He wanted me to effectively use the jab and work well,” she said.

Julaton, according to Fightfan.Com, used her jabs in the early going but Villalobos countered in the third round, causing some swelling below Julaton’s eye.

But Julaton made use of her jab anew to control the fight and hold back Villabos every time the Mexican tried to engage.

In the end, Julaton earned the nod of judges Harry Davis and Kelly Zolnierczyk, 96-94, while Bob Bell scored it 97-94 for Villalobos.

“Ana looked good but we’re about half way there,” said Roach, who was actually Julaton’s trainer for her first six pro fights before they parted ways. “We’ll keep at it and Ana will get even better.”

Meanwhile, there are plans to stage Julaton’s next fight in the Philippines.

“We’re talking about the possibility of having a fight in the Philippines for a world title fight and I’m pretty excited about that,” Julaton, who traces her roots to Pangasinan, said.