Ana and her heroes

By Robbie Pangilinan



WBO World Champion Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton believes that her success in the world of boxing is not of her own doing, but a collaboration between herself, her team, and her heroes.



The people she considers her heroes are Gerry Peñalosa, Manny Pacquiao, Freddie Roach, former WBC Champ Carina Moreno, trainer Rick Noble, and Nonito Donaire, Sr. These heroes are her inspiration, idols and trainers.



The female boxing icon recalls talking with her “Kuya” Gerry Peñalosa at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, California. The former holder of the WBC super flyweight and the WBO bantamweight titles told Ana that boxing is a hard sport, training must be tough and the fighter must be tough. But, the defensive boxer who has never been knocked down in his entire boxing career, also told Ana to always remember that boxing is still just a sport.



Hearing this put many things in perspective for Ana and urged her to do the most that she can in boxing.


The Fil-Am boxer from Daly City considers herself fortunate to have worked with world class boxers and trainers. When she was in the amateur level, Carina Moreno and Rick Noble gave her help and provided advice for her blooming career. Wild Card Boxing Club/Gym owner and one of the most popular boxing trainers in the world Freddie Roach not only trained Ana but cornered her first six fights. She is likewise fortunate to have had Nonito Donaire, Sr. and his team work and train with Ana on her world title fight. “I dedicate my work ethic and experience with having the chance to work with these top class boxers and trainers,” Ana says.



The female World Champion’s training at the Wild Card Boxing Club also gave her the chance to watch and study Manny Pacquiao when he would train for world title fights. The pound-for-pound king is Ana’s idol. “He is the best fighter in the world and it's inspiring to see a Filipino be so successful. He opened the doors for Filipinos not only in boxing but in many areas. The general public are recognizing us and are more open to give Filipinos opportunities,” the Filipina boxer says.



The People’s Champ also played an important role in Ana’s rise to boxing stardom. Ana reveals, “As a female boxer, I still face those who don't respect female fighters as much as male fighters and for my first attempt on my professional debut, Pacquiao helped me by calling the promoters during his second fight with Barrera and putting me in his undercard.”



After over 40 amateur matchups and professional bouts, the 5’6” tall Filipina boxer still feels excited every time she goes into the ring. She says, “In boxing, there's always that risk of losing what you have and the time you spent to get there. When I'm in the ring, it feels like it could be my last fight so I enjoy it and make the most out of it.”



Ana says the toughest opponent she has faced and is facing every day, is herself. The female champ with the charming smile has this to say about boxing: “Boxing is a tough sport and a lot of a fighter's success, whatever that may be, is found through what was done in hard scenarios. A fighter has the power to control their destiny and after my first loss, I learned how to deal with myself.”



The first Filipina WBO champion has only fought eight times in professional boxing with six wins, 1 loss and 1 draw. In September 2009, Ana won over Kelsey Jeffries, earning her the IBA 122-lb. title. Last December, Ana faced experienced fighter Donna Biggers for the WBO Super Bantamweight Title which Ana also secured.



This coming March, Ana once again strives to be like her hero, Manny Pacquiao as she moves one step closer to becoming the best pound-for-pound female boxer in the world. She will fight Lisa Brown for the WBA 122-lb. championship in the hopes of becoming the first Filipina American to bag the WBA World Champion crown.



Behind her, to give encouragement and support, are the heroes she looks up to. She dedicates her fight and hopefully her success, to these people. When she goes into that ring on that fateful night, the fight will be beyond her. It will be for these people.



“When I fight, I fight for more than just me, I fight for those who've supported me and what my fights stand for,” says the Filipina boxer that the whole world is proud of.



Voted as one of ABS-CBN’s Top Ten Newsmaker of 2009 with Charice Pempengco, Arnel Pineda and Manny Pacquiao, Ana will not miss Pacman’s March 13 bout against Joshua Clottey in Dallas, Texas. She hopes that the fight will inspire her more as she watches her hero defend his welterweight title. #