Julaton, Spoelstra an item?

MANILA, Philippines –  WBO women’s superbantamweight champion Ana (Hurricane) Julaton declined the other day to reveal the secrets of her love life but manager Angelo Reyes admitted while not insinuating a romantic relationship, she’s “good friends” with Miami Heat’s Fil-Am head coach Erik Spoelstra.

Reyes, not related in any way to the former Armed Forces chief of staff, said Julaton and Spoelstra met after the Heat played the Golden State Warriors in an NBA game in Oakland last year.

“They’re both single,” said Reyes. “I understand Erik told Ana he’ll go to watch her fight in July in Canada and Ana mentioned when Erik visits Manila in August, she’ll come, too. Right now, they’re focused on their careers and extremely busy. I don’t know if this will develop into a romantic relationship. All I know is at the moment, they’re just good friends.”

In Julaton’s personal website (teamjulaton.worldpress.com), Spoelstra called her “not only a great champion but also a gracious champion, a trailblazer in her sport, breaking new ground for women’s boxing, attracting new fans, representing Filipinos all over.” Spoelstra said Julaton is “really inspirational” and he was “fortunate enough to meet her.” He added, “I’m honored to meet her, she’s a champion I’d read about before, such a gracious person, gracious for the opportunities she’s been given...I root for her.”

Julaton and Reyes flew into town last Wednesday to promote the champion’s first title defense against Kansas City’s Franchesca Alcanter at the Craneway Pavilion, Point Richmond, California, on Feb. 25. They came with former Canadian airline executive Allen Tremblay of Orion Sports Management which promotes Julaton. Tremblay arrived to finalize terms of the Julaton-Alcanter telecast on TV-5 and left last Thursday. Julaton and Reyes are leaving today– in time to report to Freddie Roach for work at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles tomorrow.

Julaton, 30, won the vacant WBO 122-pound crown on a split 10-round decision over Mexico’s Maria Elena Villalobos in Ontario last June. She turned pro in 2007 and has since compiled a 7-2-1 record, with one KO. Alcanter, 36, has a record of 18-9-1, with nine KOs. Reyes said Alcanter also figured in two mixed martial arts bouts which she won by stoppage.

“I think the fight might be a repeat of Manny Pacquiao against Antonio Margarito,” said Reyes. “Alcanter is used to fighting in the featherweight and superfeatherweight divisions. She’s dropping down for the chance to win a world title. She’s a hard puncher as her record shows but Ana is too fast and too skillful. Ana’s got the best jab in the business. I can see it ending in the eighth or ninth round with Ana winning by technical knockout. Alcanter will be so beat and cut up by then. On a skill level, Ana’s way up there. She’s in great shape and I expect her to complete about 90 rounds of sparring in three weeks with Freddie. She’ll spar every other day, starting with eight rounds then progressing to 10. That’s one thing about Freddie. When you report for work, he expects you to be in shape for sparring and Ana won’t disappoint him.”

Even during her brief visit to Manila, Julaton kept her twice-a-day workout schedule, moving from the Makati Shangri-La Gym, to the Punch Out sweat shop in Salcedo Village and the Elorde facility in Quezon City where Pacquiao trained briefly before the Margarito bout.

While Reyes isn’t looking beyond Alcanter, he said fights are now being lined up for Julaton in April in Manila and July in Canada. Tremblay recently gave up his rights to top Canadian prospect Steve Molitor to concentrate on Julaton.

“The main thing I’ve learned from Freddie, and I’ve learned a lot, is to fight your fight,” said Julaton. “It’s all about how I present myself in the ring. I’ll do the jab, use my speed, go with my footwork, whatever it takes to win. We talk a lot about professional boxing, the perspective of a champion in and out of the ring. If you’re a Freddie fighter, you’ve got to be disciplined. During a fight, I listen to what he says and do what I’m told. Alcanter used to work out with Freddie so he knows what she’s capable of and I’m confident of keeping my title.”

Julaton said her goal is to unify the world superbantamweight championship and lure Lisa Brown into a rematch. Last March, she lost a brutal war on points to Brown in a battle for the vacant WBA crown. “I’d love to meet her again,” said Julaton. “It won’t be about Lisa. It’ll be about me. I wasn’t myself in our first fight. I didn’t do what I was supposed to. I didn’t do what I was capable of doing. But it’ll be different when we fight again.”

Reyes said in women’s boxing, the superbantamweight division is where the attraction is, similar to the welterweight division in men’s boxing which Pacquiao dominates. Among the top 122-pounders are WBC titlist Marcela Acuna of Argentina, Brown, Mexico’s Jackie Nava, Jamaica’s Alicia Ashley and Puerto Rico’s Ada Velez. 

Reyes said Julaton has a long way to go in her career. “In women’s boxing, the peak years are when you’re 30 to 40,” he said. “Brown and Velez are 40. Ashley is 43. Acuna is 34 and Nava is 30. Anyone of those superstars would be an attractive opponent for Ana. But right now, we’re focused on Alcanter, nobody else.”

Julaton recently got a big morale boost when Sports Communicators Organization of the Philippines (SCOOP) president Eddie Alinea announced she would be nominated in the selection of the country’s 100 greatest athletes ever. Alinea said the SCOOP Century Sports Awards will be a fitting tribute to Filipino sports achievers exactly 100 years from the creation of the now-defunct Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation.