Ana Julaton’s boxing return remains on hold

MANILA, Philippines – Ana Julaton’s much-awaited return to the boxing ring remains on hold as her promoter Allan Tremblay of Orion Sports Management is still under negotiation of securing a bout for the Filipino-American fighter this year.

The 34-year-old Julaton told Rappler this past December that she and Tremblay are in talks with Top Rank Promotions chief Bob Arum for a match in Macau, China on March 7 as part of the event which is headlined by a flyweight championship clash between Amnat Ruenroeng and Zou Shiming

However, trainer Angelo Reyes affirmed that Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler already gave Julaton the notice that she is no longer part of the Macau affair as the boxing promotion would like to include her in its planned trip to Manila in early 2015.

“Bruce Trampler informed Ana that she will not be a part of that card when she returned from Manila last December. He spoke to her personally and said maybe there is a possibility of her fighting in Manila for Top Rank. Only the two of them met and spoke at the Top Rank office in Las Vegas a month ago. Nothing has developed since that time,” Reyes disclosed.

In addition, Reyes revealed that Tremblay is working on another title opportunity for Julaton’s boxing comeback.

“He is looking to stage a title fight for Ana and is [under] negotiations for that now,” he said.

Mexico’s Jackie Nava holds the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association (WBA) titles, while her compatriot Yulihan Alejandra Luna Avila owns the International Boxing Federation-version of the super bantamweight’s top prize.

On the other hand, Argentineans Marcela Eliana Acuña and Yesica Patricia Marcos possess the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and WBA regular belts respectively.

According to Reyes, Julaton has been vocal of her desire to lock horns with Nava, who is considered one of the top faces of women’s boxing today.

“Ana has been publicly calling for her the past two years and somehow Nava has avoided that fight. Jackie Nava is considered to be the best fighter at 122 pounds and is definitely one of the top three most popular fighters in all of Mexico,” Reyes stated.

Julaton (13-4-1, 2 knockouts) carved a place for herself in boxing history when she became the first Filipina pugilist to capture a world title by winning the vacant International Boxing Association women’s junior featherweight belt against Kelsey Jeffries in September 2009.

Moreover, she doubled the feat by claiming the inaugural WBO female super bantamweight strap in June 2010 when she closely outpointed Maria Elena Villalobos.

The 5-foot-5 “Hurricane” went on to successfully defend the 122-pound trinket three times before dropping it to Marcos in a lopsided contest in March 2012.

Since her disappointing setback to Marcos, Julaton won three of her four outings, defeating the likes of Yolanda Segura, Abigail Ramos and Perla Hernandez.

Despite her absence in the squared-circle, Julaton remained active in the fight scene by inking an exclusive contract with ONE Fighting Championship, where she had three mixed martial arts matches last year. – Rappler.com