Make or break for Julaton

Drawing inspiration from Muhammad Ali, former two-time WBO female superbantamweight champion Ana (Hurricane) Julaton returns to the ring in a crossroads fight whose outcome could determine her future as a fighter. Julaton, 33, battles Mexico’s Perla (La Potranquita) Hernandez in a 10-rounder in the Yucatan peninsula tonight (tomorrow morning, Manila).

The bout was finalized only three weeks ago but Julaton isn’t fazed by the short notice. After losing to Celina Salazar last August, she immediately went back to the gym and got ready for a bounce back. The loss to Salazar was bitter as a win could’ve paved the way for a spot in the undercard of the recent Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Saul (Canelo) Alvarez mainer in Las Vegas. But Julaton, making no excuses, put the setback behind her quickly and is looking forward to hurdling the next obstacle on the road to capturing another world crown.

Before flying to Mexico a few days ago, Julaton spent a week training with Roger Mayweather in Las Vegas. Julaton was warmly received by the Money Team and learned a lot from Floyd’s uncle who was known as the Black Mamba long before somebody else made the moniker famous in the NBA.  Mayweather gave tips to Julaton particularly on defense. Julaton did sparring at the gym to cap her training camp.

“I promise I will not let you down this time around,” vowed Julaton in a message to her fans. “Nov. 1 can’t come soon enough for me. I’m firing at another level. I’m bring back that win from Mexico. I will show you my best. Uncle Roger knows boxing (and) everyone in the Money Team is so positive. The road back to the top is to take one step at a time.”

Julaton said while punishing herself in the gym to get back in shape, she remembered Ali’s famous quote: “I hate every minute of training but I sure won’t quit, suffer now and live the rest of your life like a champion.”

Hernandez is no slouch and Julaton said she knows it. The Fil-Am won’t leave anything to chance, realizing this is a make-or-break situation. A loss to Hernandez could plummet Julaton into boxing oblivion. A win will open doors and create the opportunity to fight for another world title, perhaps in the Philippines.

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“We have an ambitious plan for Ana to regain the world title and this is the first step in that plan,” said Julaton’s Canadian promoter Allan Tremblay of Orion Sports Management. “This is a tough fight but a necessary one to get to where we want to go. A win here and we’re right back in the mix. We still want her to fight for the world title in the Philippines, that has always been the ultimate goal.”

Julaton is unbeaten in three fights in the Yucatan where she enjoys a large fan following. Hernandez, however, is Mexican and will perform before her countrymen.  She hasn’t lost in her last seven fights although two were draws. Hernandez once battled the popular Mia St. John and Tremblay claimed the Mexican “outmuscled” her opponent to win an upset decision. St. John has disputed the claim, insisting it was an exhibition.

“Perla feels that fighting at home gives her a distinct advantage and that Julaton has bitten more than she can chew,” said Tremblay. “Conversely, Julaton feels quite at home in Mexico, having fought there multiple times, during which she has developed an avid following of her own. Coming off a loss in her last outing, Julaton could have chosen an easier opponent on the road back but wanted a real test to put herself back into title contention.”

Julaton said the fight is no walk in the park. “Hernandez comes to fight and I will have to be stronger than last time out while maintaining my boxing skill set to come away with a victory,” she said. “My aspiration for another shot at the title hangs in the balance and defeat is not an option.”

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Julaton is careful not to look beyond Hernandez but admitted, “I want a world championship as soon as possible.” The Hurricane understands that if she loses to Hernandez, it could mean curtains for her boxing career. Overconfidence led to her defeat to Salazar and Julaton’s trainer Angelo Reyes took the heat for the unexpected tumble.

“Ana had an off-night and I blame myself as the head coach as I feel I overlooked Salazar with all the potential rewards after a win, hard as it is for me to admit,” said Reyes. “The strength of Salazar surprised us. Ana was clearly against a more muscular fighter who was allowed to hit Ana in the back of the head early on and was able to get away with pushing and grabbing along with being able to punch Ana on the kidneys and back area. I feel Ana will bounce back stronger than ever. It had been a year since her last fight and it definitely played a role in losing the fight. Ana has always been known for her incredible ability to bounce back.”

Julaton brought down her weight to fight Salazar as she was lined up to challenge IBF bantamweight queen Yazmin Rivas. The drop made a difference as Julaton lost the energy that was a hallmark of her big championship wins. Now, she’s back in her natural weight but the danger is Hernandez has scaled at least 130 pounds in 12 of her bouts so the Mexican is expected to be bigger when the bell rings. Hernandez’ record is 10-6-3 with two KOs while Julaton has compiled a 12-4-1 slate, with 2 KOs. Hernandez is nicknamed La Potranquita or a young mare. The Hurricane hopes to blow the filly away.