Julaton decks Marcos but loses title

MANILA, Philippines - Unable to cope with the work rate of a volume puncher, Ana (The Hurricane) Julaton failed to capitalize on an early knockdown and yielded her WBO female superbantamweight crown to hometown favorite Yesica (La Leona) Marcos via a unanimous 10-round decision at a jampacked Teatro Griego Juan Pablo Segundo in San Martin, Mendoza, Argentina, Friday night (yesterday morning, Manila time).

It was a bruising battle for both fighters as they never took a step back from start to finish. Julaton, a 3-1 underdog, braved the odds by staking her title in Marcos’ backyard and wasn’t accorded the usual respect for a champion by Argentine promoter Osvaldo Rivero as she entered the ring and was introduced ahead of the challenger. In boxing tradition, the champion is given the privilege of climbing the ring after the challenger and the last introduction.

 Julaton scaled 122 pounds for the bout and Marcos, 120 3/4.

Referee Roberto Ramirez Sr., a Puerto Rican, and the three judges – Cesar Ramos and Jose Roberto Torres of Puerto Rico and Ignacio Robles of Panama – came from neutral countries but their Hispanic bias was evident. Ramirez slapped a point deduction on Julaton in the fifth round despite only one prior warning and curtailed the Fil-Am’s momentum.  In the end, the judges scorecards reflected a one-sided fight that wasn’t nearly as indicated. Ramos and Robles had it 98-92 while Torres, 98-91, all for Marcos.

While Marcos deserved the win, the margin of difference in the scorecards was a shocker. The Star scored it 95-93 for the Argentinian.

Marcos began the bout shooting from the hip in a rip-roaring start that had the big crowd cheering lustily. Julaton tried to take the initiative by coming forward but Marcos countered with precision. Fending off Julaton, Marcos pushed her down and Ramirez ruled a slip. In the second round, Julaton landed two left hooks on the jaw and floored Marcos for a mandatory eight-count. Towards the end of the round, it was Marcos flailing away and pressuring Julaton. In a major adjustment, Julaton opened the third round keeping Marcos at bay with her left jab. Instead of charging in, Julaton stayed a safe distance away to take advantage of her length. Marcos had no antidote for Julaton’s strategic switch and didn’t turn the tide until the fifth when Ramirez docked a point from the champion for a low blow.

Asked for his opinion, Filipino referee Danrex Tapdasan said Ramirez’ deduction seemed to be premature. “There is no hard and fast rule as to when to slap a deduction but the most common practice is you deduct on the third infraction. It is of course upon the referee’s discretion. Usually, a referee gives two soft warnings before a hard warning. A lot has to do with how much damage is inflicted as in the case when a fighter has to be given time to recover from a low blow. The foul has to be damaging for the referee to order a point deduction.”

Ramirez ordered a point off Julaton although the damage was inconsequential. Julaton’s body attack was stymied because of Ramirez’ intervention.

Marcos, turning up the heat a notch, went on to take the next three rounds as she repeatedly threw punches from all angles. Julaton parried a lot of the blows but couldn’t keep up with Marcos’ work rate. For every punch that Julaton unleashed, Marcos retaliated with three or four. In the ninth, Julaton found the range with her right hand and kept pumping the left jab as Marcos slowed down. But in the final canto, Marcos was back in stride and never retreated in engaging Julaton in a furious finish.

For Julaton, it was a courageous stand. She had nothing to be ashamed of. Marcos proved to be busier and more aggressive but the win was certainly no cakewalk. Marcos raised her record to 19-0-1, with 6 KOs. Julaton’s record dipped to 10-3-1, with 1 KO.

Before the fight, Julaton’s Canadian promoter Allan Tremblay said his dream is to showcase the Hurricane in Manila. “I would love to her do a fight in her home country or province if we could bring a large corporate sponsor onboard and give the fight to the people,” he said. “That would make a television extravaganza.”

Pitting Julaton against any of her tormentors would be a sellout because of the revenge angle. So far, she has lost to Marcos, Lisa Brown and Dominga Oliva, all on points. “It has to make economic sense,” said Tremblay. “Brown might be the perfect opponent for the fight in the Philippines.” Brown, a veteran southpaw, bloodied Julaton en route to a win by decision two years ago.

Tremblay said even as Julaton has Philippine and US roots, she is widely popular in Canada.

“She went through both defeat and victory in Canada,” said Tremblay. “There is a large Filipino community in Canada which helps and Ana being Ana helps most of all. You have to go a long way to find a fighter, male or female, that is as genuine and articulate as Ana. She represents the Filipino nation to the highest degree with grace and integrity. Corporate Philippines should be clamoring to get onboard with her just as what is occurring with Jeremy Lin in the Chinese world.”