Ana Julaton Fighting in Rings, Cages and For Recogntion For Fighting Females

Published

10 years ago

September 4, 2014

Ana Julaton is one of those grinders who toe the line between persistence and pest. This is not a knock; in some fields, you have to do that dance if you want to get ahead, have to have some sharpened elbows, and willingness to maybe be one email over the line, and make that occasional phone call to a potential difference-maker who has already ignored two of your email requests to touch base.

Nope, it’s not a knock at all, because I know what she knows, that she’s talented, and ambitious and owns other traits which should be part of an overall package which doesn’t much exist in the US, that being the boxing scene for females.

And I dare say it should. Her skills, her technique stand up to that of the men, and then some. And why shouldn’t some broadcast entity take a leap, fashion a little niche for themselves, corner the market on women’s boxing? It’s not like the cost would be prohibitive, as athletes like Julaton are used to subsisting on so-so paydays while they do their climb up the ranks, and even when they win title belts.

I checked in with the fighter, who took part in a mixed martial arts fight on Aug. 29, for the ONE FC organization, which has been running since 2011, out of Singapore.The 34-year-old fighter, who lives in California, owns a 13-4-1 boxing record, and dropped to 1-1 in MMA when she lost to Ann Osman in Brazil. The record book says she lost, anyway. Julaton’s account differs somewhat.”It was a split decision loss, but I felt like I did more damage overall and did enough to win the fight and get the decision,” she told me. “I’m ready to go back in MMA ASAP!” She sent along highlights from her scrap.

{youtube}qi2FqxEYOT4{/youtube}

“I am really still trying to understand the judging criteria in MMA,” she continued. “When the rules for ONE FC were explained to me before the fight, Near KO/Submission was the #1, damage is #2 and striking combinations and generalship is #3 for criteria in judging the winner. Ground control is #4, takedowns #5, takedown defense is #6 and aggression is #7 all in descending order of importance. Based on the criteria shouldn’t I have gotten the nod in victory? There was no damage done to me at all… so does a failed submission attempt count more points than just plain hurting my opponent through striking?”

The persistent hitter ain’t done lobbying. “Even on the ground when I was on my back you’ll notice I did a lot of Floyd Mayweather style deflections which is why Osman never lands anything clean.. so just because someone is on top of you does that mean they are winning even though nothing is landing? On the reverse side when I was on top, my strikes would connect and those knees I gave her caused a lot of damage. One judge and almost everyone in the arena (in Dubai) that night felt I won,” she declared.

“I am happy that the crowd and all the people watching were excited and entertained. Win, lose or draw you will never see me in a boring fight. I always leave my heart in battle and in both my first two MMA fights I was caught in a guillotine choke and survived to win via KO and last Friday I was caught in an armbar and again I almost had a third round KO. People can always expect me to never give up in the cage and know that I always have the KO power to win in MMA. I’m still learning and young in this sport and with a stage that gives us fighters a billion viewers I will definitely be back. ”

So, what brought her to the MMA cage, anyway?

“Hands down, I love fighting. I’ve spent over ten years in the sweet science and have won world titles, fought all over the world, and I enjoy performing classic fights. I’ve watched ONE FC develop over the past couple of years and it had me reminisce about my martial arts background. The CEO of ONE FC, Victor Cui, offered me an exclusive MMA deal while I am able to continue my boxing career. Victor cares about his fighters and knew how much boxing means to me and was generous enough to give me such opportunity. I couldn’t miss this opportunity, what fighter would?”

And how long have you been training for it?

“I’ve started my MMA training earlier this year and it has been consistent,” she said. “Practicing the different aspects of MMA has been demanding yet at the same time, fun. I think it’s important for a fighter to know her/his weak points and apply what is effective in a match. I remember winning the WBO world title in Canada when Freddie Roach trained me and instructed me to only use the jab in the first nine rounds.”

I take it you will still box?

“Of course, there are some goals I’d like to achieve in boxing before I hang it up,” she continued. “That is also the reason why Victor Cui offered me an exclusive MMA contract with ONE FC while continuing with boxing. Also, I’ve been in touch with Bob Arum for a possible fight in the near future. I’m hoping for the best but I’m taking my MMA and boxing schedule one day at a time.

Can you tell me a bit more about fighting for ONE FC?

“ONE FC is a world class organization and is the biggest MMA company in the continent of Asia, reaching to a billion viewership with a 90% market share,” she said, with a PR flak’s expertise. “ONE FC follows the global rule set which is considered to bring MMA closest to real fighting, providing the most exciting fights for fans. Also, ONE FC cares about its fighters. Today, after the fighters’ meeting Cui stopped in, spoke to all the fights, thanking us for doing a great job with promoting fights and providing exciting fights. He even shared a personal story of one of the fighters, and for a CEO of a company to know his own employees like that says a lot about the company. And he gave me that two-sport contract allowance because he knew how important that was to me.”

Tell me, please, about the differences in fighting in MMA vs boxing, the combat AND the outside the ring stuff.

“I’d say physical damage: in ONE FC, if a fighter receives a devastating strike, like a knee to the face, etc., the referee will stop the fight right away, there are no eight counts to recover,” Julaton said. “Whereas in boxing, a downed fighter, if still conscious, will get an eight count to recover to continue. A perfect example is Diego Corrales vs Jose Luis Castillo 1. Corrales gets dropped in the second half of the fight and recovers to knock out Castillo in the next round. Boxers fight through pain and damage as they take punches to the head and body throughout the fight. And the pace between the two sports are different. In championship fights, MMA is scheduled for five 5 minute rounds, with one minute breaks between rounds; boxing schedules 12 three minute rounds, with 1 minute breaks in between. They are two completely different sports. As for the business side…. MMA runs as a league and typically, a roster of fighters in a weight division will be signed and eventually gets scheduled to fight each other. It’s the competitive fights that are being sold to the public and branded for the company. Boxing on the other hand, has a different format. Boxing promoters sign stars, fighters that appeal to the masses. The popularity of the fighter is what drives the success of the promotional company. So far, I love how ONE FC recognizes my accomplishments in boxing and I have the ability to expose myself. And vice versa, the activity in MMA will continue building my brand in boxing.”

She then put back on her boxing hat, and informed me that, “Did you know that in female boxing WBO 122 pound champion Marcela Acuna just had a great fight with Soledad Matthysse (Lucas’ sister) a couple weekends ago in Argentina? Do you know that WBA 122 pound champ Jackie Nava is about to fight WBC 122 pound champ Alicia Ashley in a unification this weekend in Mexico? These are four of the very best boxers we have in the world and yet you don’t get to see it in Showtime or HBO and I didn’t see a lot of boxing writers talking about it…. I’m just saying.”

And I’m just listening’….Point taken. I didn’t know, and it could be argued I should. I send props to the persistent Julaton for banging this drum, and shining her spotlight on other performers. That’s a selfless act, one of a leader, and she is that in this realm. Here’s hoping some bigwig listens and rewards her and the ladies who work so hard, on small stages, for minute purses.

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Michael Woods

Avila Perspective, Chap. 310: Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue and More

Published

46 mins ago

January 23, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-310-Japanese-Superstar-Naoya-Inoue-and-More

Many proclaim super bantamweight world champ Naoya Inoue to be the best fighter in the world today. It’s a serious debate among boxing pundits.

Is he Japan’s best fighter ever?

Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) takes another step toward immortality when he meets Korea’s Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) on Friday Jan. 24, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. ESPN+ will stream the Top Rank and Ohashi Promotions card.

Inoue defends the IBF, WBC, WBA and WBO world titles.

This is Inoue’s third defense of the undisputed super bantamweight division that he won when he defeated Philippines’ Marlon Tapales in December 2023.

Japan has always been a fighting nation, a country derived from a warrior culture like Mexico, England, Russia, Germany and a few others. Professional boxing has always thrived in Japan.

My first encounter with Japanese fighters took place in March 1968 at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. It was my first visit to the famous boxing venue though my father had performed there during the 1950s. I was too young to attend any of his fights and then he retired.

The main event featured featherweights Jose Pimentel of Mexico against Sho Saijo of Japan. Both had fought a month earlier with the Mexican from Jalisco winning by split decision.

Pimentel was a friend of my female cousin and gave my father tickets to the fight. My family loved boxing as most Latino families worldwide do, including those in the USA. It’s a fact that most sports editors for newspapers and magazines fail to realize. Latinos love boxing.

We arrived late at the boxing venue located on Grand Avenue and 18th street. My father was in construction and needed to pick me up in East L.A. near Garfield High School. Fights we already underway when we arrived at the Olympic Auditorium.

It was a packed arena and our seats were fairly close to the boxing ring. As the fighters were introduced and descended to the boxing ring, respectful applause greeted Saijo. He had nearly defeated Pimentel in their first clash a month earlier in this same venue. Los Angeles fans respect warriors. Saijo was a warrior.

Both fighters fought aggressively with skill. Every round it seemed Saijo got stronger and Pimentel got weaker. After 10 strong rounds of back-and-forth action, this time Saijo was declared the winner. Some fans booed but most agreed that the Japanese fighter was stronger on this day. And he was stronger still when they met a third time in 1969 when Saijo knocked out Pimentel in the second round for the featherweight world title.

That was my first time witnessing Japan versus Mexico. Over the decades, I’ve seen many clashes between these same two countries and always expect riveting battles from Japanese fighters.

I was in the audience in Cancun, Mexico when then WBC super featherweight titlist Takashi Miura clashed with Sergio Thompson for 12 rounds in intense heat in a covered bull ring. After that fight that saw three knockdowns between them, the champion, though victorious, was taken out in a stretcher due to dehydration.

There are so many others going back to Fighting Harada in the 1960s that won championships. And what about all the other Japanese fighters who never got the opportunity to fight for a world title due to the distance from America and Europe?

Its impossible to determine if Inoue is the greatest Japanese fighter ever. But without a doubt, he is the most famous. Publications worldwide include him on lists of the top three fighters Pound for Pound.

Few experts are familiar with Korea’s Kim, but expect a battle nonetheless. These two countries are rivals in Asian boxing.

Golden Boy at Commerce Casino

Middleweights Eric Priest and Tyler Howard lead a Golden Boy Promotions fight card on Thursday, Jan. 23, at Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif. DAZN will stream the boxing card.

All ticket money will go to the Los Angele Fire Department Foundation.

Kansas-based Priest (14-0, 8 KOs) meets Tennessee’s Tyler Howard (20-2, 11 KOs) in the main event in a match set for 10 rounds.

Others on the card are super welterweights Jordan Panthen (10-0) and Grant Flores (7-0) in separate bouts and super lightweight Cayden Griffith seeking a third consecutive win. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Diego Pacheco at Las Vegas

Super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) defends his regional titles against Steve Nelson (20-0, 16 KOs) at the Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday, Jan. 25. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

It’s not an easy fight for Pacheco.

“I’ve been fighting for six years as a professional and I’m 22-0 and I’m 23 years old. I feel I’m stepping into my prime now,” said Pacheco, who trains with Jose Benavidez.

Also on the card is Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz and Southern California’s dangerous super lightweight contender Ernesto Mercado in separate fights.

Fights to Watch (All times Pacific Time)

Thurs. DAZN 6 p.m. Eric Priest (14-0) vs Tyler Howard (20-2).

Fri. ESPN+ 1:15 a.m. Naoya Inoue (28-0) vs Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2).

Sat. DAZN 9:15 a.m. Dalton Smith (16-0) vs Walid Ouizza (19-2); Ellie Scotney (9-0) vs Mea Motu (20-0).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Diego Pacheco (22-0) vs Steve Nelson (20-0).

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Skylar Lacy Blocked for Lamar Jackson before Making his Mark in Boxing

Published

4 days ago

January 19, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Skylar-Lacy-Blocked-for-Lamar-Jackson-Before-Making-his-Mark-in-Boxing

Skylar Lacy, a six-foot-seven heavyweight, returns to the ring on Sunday, Feb. 2, opposing Brandon Moore on a card in Flint, Michigan, airing worldwide on DAZN.

As this is being written, the bookmakers hadn’t yet posted a line on the bout, but one couldn’t be accused of false coloring by calling the 10-round contest a 50/50 fight. And if his frustrating history is any guide, Lacy will have another draw appended to his record or come out on the wrong side of a split decision.

This should not be construed as a tip to wager on Moore. “Close fights just don’t seem to go my way,” says the boxer who played alongside future multi-year NFL MVP Lamar Jackson at the University of Louisville.

A 2021 National Golden Gloves champion, Skylar Lacy came up short in his final amateur bout, losing a split decision to future U.S. Olympian Joshua Edwards. His last Team Combat League assignment resulted in another loss by split decision and he was held to a draw in both instances when stepping up in class as a pro. “In my mind, I’m still undefeated,” says Lacy (8-0-2, 6 KOs). “No one has ever kicked my ass.”

Lacy was the B-side in both of those draws, the first coming in a 6-rounder against Top Rank fighter Antonio Mireles on a Top Rank show in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and the second in an 8-rounder against George Arias, a Lou DiBella fighter on a DiBella-promoted card in Philadelphia.

Lacy had the Mireles fight in hand when he faded in the homestretch. The altitude was a factor. Lake Tahoe, Nevada (officially Stateline) sits 6,225 feet above sea level. The fight with Arias took an opposite tack. Lacy came on strong after a slow start to stave off defeat.

Skylar will be the B-side once again in Michigan. The card’s promoter, former world title challenger Dmitriy Salita, inked Brandon Moore (16-1, 10 KOs) in January. “A capable American heavyweight with charisma, athleticism and skills is rare in today’s day and age. Brandon has got all these ingredients…”, said Salita in the press release announcing the signing. (Salita has an option on Skylar Lacy’s next pro fight in the event that Skylar should win, but the promoter has a larger investment in Moore who was previously signed to Top Rank, a multi-fight deal that evaporated after only one fight.)

Both Lacy and Moore excelled in other sports. The six-foot-six Moore was an outstanding basketball player in high school in Fort Lauderdale and at the NAIA level in college. Lacy was an all-state football lineman in Indiana before going on to the University of Louisville where he started as an offensive guard as a redshirt sophomore, blocking for freshman phenom Lamar Jackson. “Lamar was hard-working and humble,” says Lacy about the player who is now one of the world’s highest-paid professional athletes.

When Lacy committed to Louisville, the head coach was Charlie Strong who went on to become the head coach at the University of Texas. Lacy was never comfortable with Strong’s successor Bobby Petrino and transferred to San Jose State. Having earned his degree in only three years (a BA in communications) he was eligible immediately but never played a down because of injuries.

Returning to Indianapolis where he was raised by his truck dispatcher father, a single parent, Lacy gravitated to Pat McPherson’s IBG (Indy Boxing and Grappling) Gym on the city’s east side where he was the rare college graduate pounding the bags alongside at-risk kids from the city’s poorer neighborhoods.

Lacy built a 12-6 record across his two seasons in Team Combat League while representing the Las Vegas Hustle (2023) and the Boston Butchers (2024).

For the uninitiated, a Team Combat League (TCL) event typically consists of 24 fights, each consisting of one three-minute round. The concept finds no favor with traditionalists, but Lacy is a fan. It’s an incentive for professional boxers to keep in shape between bouts without disturbing their professional record and, notes Lacy, it’s useful in exposing a competitor to different styles.

“It paid the bills and kept me from just sitting around the house,” says Lacy whose 12-6 record was forged against 13 different opponents.

As a sparring partner, Lacy has shared the ring with some of the top heavyweights of his generation, e.g., Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. He was one of Fury’s regular sparring partners during the Gypsy King’s trilogy with Deontay Wilder. He worked with Joshua at Derrick James’ gym in Dallas and at Ben Davison’s gym in England, helping Joshua prepare for his date in Saudi Arabia with Francis Ngannou and had previously sparred with Ngannou at the UFC Performance Center in Las Vegas. Skylar names traveling to new places as one of his hobbies and he got to scratch that itch when he joined Whyte’s camp in Portugal.

As to the hardest puncher he ever faced, he has no hesitation: “Ngannou,” he says. “I negotiated a nice price to spend a week in his camp and the first time he hit me I knew I should have asked for more.”

Lacy is confident that having shared the ring with some of the sport’s elite heavyweights will get him over the hump in what will be his first 10-rounder (Brandon Moore has never had to fight beyond eight rounds, having won his three 10-rounders inside the distance). Lacy vs. Moore is the co-feature to Claressa Shields’ homecoming fight with Danielle Perkins. Shields, basking in the favorable reviews accorded the big-screen biopic based on her first Olympic journey (“The Fire Inside”) will attempt to capture a title in yet another weight class at the expense of the 42-year-old Perkins, a former professional basketball player.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Mizuki Hiruta Dominates in her U.S. Debut and Omar Trinidad Wins Too at Commerce

Published

5 days ago

January 18, 2025

David A. Avila

Mizuki-Hiruta-Dominates-in-her-U.S.-Debut-and-Trinidad-Wins-Too-at-Commerce

Japan’s Mizuki Hiruta smashed through Mexico’s Maribel Ramirez with ease in winning by technical decision and local hero Omar Trinidad continued his assault on the featherweight division on Friday.

Hiruta (7-0, 2 KOs), who prefers to be called “Mimi,” made her American debut with an impressive performance against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez (15-11-4) and retained the WBO super flyweight world title by unanimous decision at Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.

The pink-haired Japanese southpaw champion quickly proved to be quicker, stronger and even better than advertised. In the opening round Ramirez landed on the floor twice after throwing errant blows. On one instance, it could have been ruled a knockdown but it was not a convincing blow.

In the second round, Ramirez again attacked and again was met with a Hiruta check right hook and down went the Mexican. This time referee Ray Corona gave the eight-count and the fight resumed.

It was Hiruta’s third title defense but this time it was on American soil. She seemed nervous by the prospect of getting a favorable review from the more than 700 fans inside the casino tent.

For more than a year Hiruta has been training off and on with Manny Robles in the L.A. area. Now that she has a visa, she has spent considerable time this year learning the tricks of the trade. They proved explosively effective.

Though Mexico City’s Ramirez has considerable experience against world champions, she discovered that Hiruta was not easy to hit. Often, the Japanese champion would slip and counter with precision.

It was an impressive American debut, though the fight was stopped in the eighth round after a collision of heads. The scores were tallied and all three saw Hiruta the winner by scores of 80-71 twice and 79-72.

“I’m so happy. I could have done much more,” said Hiruta through interpreter Yuriko Miyata. “I wanted to do more things that Manny Robles taught me.”

Trinidad Wins Too

Omar Trinidad (18-0-1, 13 KOs) discovered that challenger Mike Plania (31-5, 18 KOs) has a very good chin and staying power. But over 10 rounds Trinidad proved to be too fast and too busy for the Filipino challenger.

Immediately it was evident that the East L.A. featherweight was too quick and too busy for Plania who preferred a counter-puncher attack that never worked.

“He was strong,” said Trinidad. “He took everything.”

After 10 redundant rounds all three judges scored for Trinidad 100-90 twice and 99-91. He retains the WBC Continental Americas title.

Other Bouts

Ali Akhmedov (23-1, 17 KOs) blasted out Malcolm Jones (17-5-1) in less than two rounds. A dozen punches by Akhmedov forced referee Thomas Taylor to stop the super middleweight fight.

Iyana “Roxy” Verduzco (3-0) bloodied Lindsey Ellis in the first round and continued the speedy assault in the next two rounds. Referee Ray Corona saw enough and stopped the fight in favor of Verduzco at 1:34 of the third round.

Gloria Munguilla (7-1) and Brook Sibrian (5-2) lit up the boxing ring with a nonstop clash for eight rounds in their light flyweight fight. Munguilla proved effective with a slip-and-counter attack. Sibrian adjusted and made the fight closer in the last four rounds but all three judges favored Munguilla.

More Winners

Joshua Anton, Tayden Beltran, Adan Palma, and Alexander Gueche all won their bouts.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!