Gallant Julaton yields to aging Canadian champ

MANILA, Philippines - Filipina Ana Julaton, bleeding heavily from both eyes, fought a gallant fight yesterday but fell way too short against the more experienced Lisa Brown of Canada, and lost her bid for a third world title at the Casa Roma in Ontario.

Julaton, a kungfu and taekwondo blackbelter, gave everything she had and gamely fought despite two nasty cuts around her eyes, allowing the 39-year-old Brown to post a unanimous decision and win the vacant WBA super bantamweight crown.

The three judges scored it 99-92, 99-91 and 100-90 all in favor of Brown, a three-time world champion who is 10 years older than Julaton.

Julaton failed to exploit her three-inch height advantage, and Brown found her defense too easy to penetrate. But the Filipina, her white tank top almost red at the end of the fight, had nothing to be ashamed of.

Like a true sportsman, Julaton clapped her hands when the ring announcer declared Brown the winner. They hugged and whispered closely to each other’s ears, and Brown was in tears as she held on to the belt.

Brown, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago but grew up in Canada, improved her ring record to 17 wins, four defeats and three draws, while Julaton, the former WBO and IBF champion, fell to 6-2-1.

Julaton’s father, Cesar, was among those who watched the fight live at the GMA-7 headquarters in Quezon City. He said he was proud of her daughter’s performance, considering that she fought Brown on her own turf.

“I’m disappointed with the outcome but I’m very proud of her,” said the elder Julaton, whose family migrated to the US in 1959.

“We didn’t get the result that we wanted. But with her determination, I’m still proud of her,” said the father as he fought back his tears.

In the eyes of the judges, Julaton won the opening round, but that proved to be her one and only round. By the second onwards, Brown landed the clearer punches, connecting mostly with her left straights and uppercuts.

A couple of accidental headbutts opened up the cuts on Julaton’s eyes. The cuts needed 20 stitches to close, and Julaton’s eyes started to swell after the fight, according to a GMA-7 report.

In the latter rounds, her chief trainer, Nonito Donaire Sr., asked Julaton if she wanted to continue, and the 29-year-old Filipina, all bloodied, said she didn’t want to quit, wanting to finish the fight.

“She was matched up with a veteran but she (Julaton) showed a lot of determination and courage to continue fighting. She could be better,” said her father.

It’s not the end of the road though for Julaton, whose disarming smile won the hearts of some of the Canadian fans that watched the event dubbed “Rumble at RAMA XI”.

“She’s still young but she can still improve,” said the elder Julaton.

But first, Julaton, a black-belter in taekwondo and kung fu, must polish her inside game.

“She has to work on the inside game and (protect herself) against head butts,” he added.