Ana Julaton honored - Photo Courtesy of Asiancemagazine
The Philippines have long been known as both a very humble, and extremely sacred nation, led by many who only remain afloat by virtue of their own blood, sweat, and tears. Having such a strong penchant for spirituality, the quest to rise above all else not only serves as a way to help the common man, but in the end, also a way to honor him.
With such an honorary background and a work ethic to support it, there's no question as to why or how the land of the Philippines recently witnessed the emergence of a few star pupils. In America, Basketball has Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Golf has Tiger Woods. But as great as those men are, few can argue they are little more than the face of their respective sports.
The Filipino nation, on the other hand, now follows the cadence of a man who serves as the face of his entire country, (Manny Pacquiao). And as we all know, for every true King, there must be a Queen to walk beside him. The woman most would identify as the lead for this role aside the sports current P4P champ is none other than Ana 'Hurricane' Julaton. The latest Filipino to take the boxing world by storm, as well as represent a nation that has slowly become very key in the sport.
In a recent one-on-one interview, speaking to the modest and always giddy Filipina, one thing became obvious right away. Contrary to those patented "Girl in the Life Magazine" looks, she's far more than the beauty she posses, and even more humble than her fans would suggest. When asked directly about her seminole moment in the sport, becoming a world champion with only 7 fights, the Filipina was still in awe, stating that "it still hasn't quite sank in".
When you consider that she had only faced two opponents with more than 10 fights, yet conquered a champ who had more than 40 victories and only two losses in her last 30 outings, there's no effort that could ever stand out any more than such a performance. And to top it off, it should be duly noted that the woman she conquered was led by famous boxing trainer Buddy McGirt, who is arguably one of the best in the game.
Julaton credits her ability to leap through the ranks and defeat such a high level of competition to her team, led by emerging boxing trainer, Nonito Donaire Snr.
Although it was Donaire Snr. who served as her official 'guiding light', it was another countryman, Manny Pacquiao, and his famed trainer Freddie Roach, who also played an active role leading up to this point in her career. Ana spoke of the encounter by saying "when I spent time around Pacquiao and Roach in their camp, it taught me so much about the fight game. It also taught me how to balance the whole lifestyle, as I was able to see how Manny carried himself in a personable way behind the scenes, yet was always gracious when dealing with those who supported him. From his work ethic to his playful side, I just felt a need to just soak it all in".
The irony in the recent success of Julaton comes in the fact that as a child, she had zero interest in the sport. By her own admission, "when (her) family got together to watch the big fights, (she) was in the other room playing with toys, and totally disinterested".
She then added, "as I got older and got into it, I learned what a science it truly is. It was through martial-arts, which my Dad got me into when I was younger, that I learned discipline; and it was boxing that taught me hard work and how to pay close attention to details and directions".
Rarely in life do we ever see a person make history on a platform which they once refused to watch, let alone participate in; but the story of Ana Julaton goes a long way in showing each of us that there are no dreams impossible.
To prove how intriguing this whole scenario really is, I would have to go back no further than a week ago, when I visited a local Chinese restaurant with my 4 year old son, where he cracked a fortune cookie open that read: "Proper preparation and proper timing equals proper success". In the case of Ana Julaton, that proper preparation was the first step, and when you look around and see the emergence of a thriving Filipino nation, there's no question that there could be no better time than the present, for her presence is truly a gift to us all - which speaks volumes for her current level of success.
(The Examiner would like to thank Ana 'Hurricane' Julaton for the one-on-one and wish her great prosperity)
(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEK747), Facebook, and Myspace).
Comments
She's HOT!!!
congrats ana!! and more power!
Hey! Ana, you are the best!
a beautiful boxer!!!
she can even win a pageant in her looks!
She's one great lady with guts and beauty, not to mention... grace!
Congrats Ana, we the filipino people and the filipino nation are proud of you! Mabuhay! :)
She's really HOT! What a beautiful boxer! Amazing...
Congrats Ana! You make us really proud! OK pervs, back-off!!!
She'll kick your sorry ass for real!
Hi Ana.... you are great. I love you.... yu ti amo..... mahal kita... ay ayaten ka..... inaro taka..... gugma ko ikaw.
Whoaw! She can punch me anytime!!!! Way to go Gurl!
Congrats AJ(Ana Julaton).
Wow...not only she's very pretty, she's very humble and very nice. Thanks for sharing... and Congrats to Ana. More power to her and Mabuhay!!!! PINOY POWER!!!!Yeah!!!!
Hey Vivek, I appreciate the write-ups. Thanks for taking the time to write about one of our boxers. Two Thumbs Up!
May your best in the past be your worst in the future. Congrats AJ. Much love from Canada
great article vivek, well done. i wouldnt mind having a couple of rounds with ana. she do indeed look like a queen. I hope she carries women boxing like manny is doing.
Wow!!! kinda' pretty hah....please post more sexy photos of Ana....
At fisrt glimpse I thought she was abeauty queen.Congratulations to the new queen of boxing.Keep in shape for your next bout,may GOD bless us all who have fear in HIM.
keep the fire burning! phil. pride!
What's unfortunate is that there isn't enough recognition given to her. The looks go w/out saying, but I've always admired Ana at a distance, and in getting to share a few moments with her, every second solidified my every thought. A true class act. I wish much prosperity to the Queen of the Philippines! Peace...
truly a pride for the struggling filipino nation. keep your head high. we are proud of you!
Well done! Ana. Continue to shine to make Filipinos shining all the way....
Hey Ana, I'm a big fan of yours. You are freaking hot.
sorry to burst your bubble guys but technically, she's not FIlipino, she's American, till she gets dual citizenship, she's bringing glory only to USA (just like Brian and Nonito), but as a boxing fan I like her, she's pretty..
sorry to burst your bubble guys but technically, she's not FIlipino, she's American, till she gets dual citizenship, she's bringing glory only to USA (just like Brian and Nonito), but as a boxing fan I like her, she's pretty..
c'mon kamagong we all know she'a american by citizenship, but still filipino blood runs through her veins...she's still 100% filipino just like brian or nonito, PHILIPPINES is where they're root is...
@kamagong
I really don't care if she is fil-am or not, if she is proud of her heritage that's what matters to me.
These guys are putting the philippines in the map, and with that I'm proud.
If Ana was married to a Brit and fought in England, she would still be a Filipina. Not only her look and struggle, her humility and work ethics that propelled her to the top, makes her a true Filipina. I'm sorry I can not say the same thing for many of my Filipino compatriots who have the "talangka" mentality.
Excellent article Vivek.
Sugod, Ana, sugoooooood!
Ituloy ang labaaaaaaaan!
Congrats!
God bless you always!
(Very nice article, VW.)
marry me ana..
a boxing & beauty queen!I love you anna!
your try tennis and beat the beauty of maria sharapova and others.
ok
Ana I wish I could say... I DO.
CONGRATULATIONS ONCE AGAIN ANA...NICE MOVE...GOOD LUCK ANA FOR THE ANOTHER FIGHTS SOON...MORE WORKOUT AND HIT HARD SO THAT YOU WILL KEEP YOUR BELT MORE YEARS...
keep up a good work, once again congratulation to you...more preparation for your next fight,more hard training and confidence to your self. we pry and support you.,,mabuhay ang pilipinas.......
nice work Vivik.
CONGRATULATIONS ANA. YOU'RE GREAT. A PINAY.
How about bringing your next fight in the Philippines, Ana? that would surely be an inspiration to many Pinays also eyeing a place in the boxing world. Calling Bob Arum.
pinay na pinay c ana.....yahooooooo....
Hi Ana, when will u visit ur ancestral home? I hope you will find time for that. I hope someone will arrange for it.
Whatever.....nationality.... I LOVE HER sooooooooooooooooo much.... Marry me.... the beauty tthat never fade.... huh stunning!!!
She got all the things I admire (beauty & Skills).... I am 1000% martial arts afficionado (and ANA has all of it).... I LOVE U ANA. wag mo ipaagaw ang belt mo.. go go go ana
Ana is a superb athlete with stunning beauty that even Ms Universe candidates can have a run for their money. COngratz Ana and God speed on your upcoming fights. Keep teh faith and believe. Filipinos are the model of true warriors and sports icons.
wishin u more good health and more championship belts.Good luck!
Well written Article ..... you surprised us Vivek of your interview with the latest Phil sensation...ANA The Hurricane Julaton...
I noticed that The Hurricane had a style better than other male boxer i.e. Vic Darchinyan and she is also aggressor better than Ivan Calderon hahahahahaha....
Fine beauty and masterfully skilled....what a Great Fear of Combination for a possible suitor...WATCH OUT FOR THE LEFT! THE UPPER CUTS! how about a Round House KICK!
DAMN! i have to be in a distance when i will say...ANA! WILL YOU MARRY ME? jejejejejeje
kudos vivek for this damn great article!....write more buddy.
she looks going to join a beauty pageant
sorry all you guys, Ana is mine because my nickname is King.
Ana and the King (title of a movie) ha,ha,ha!
Yan ang pinay.Sana you'll always visit us here naman.Who knows you'll open the way for more pinays to get into boxing like pacman who brings back our boxing alive.I like your attitude as a pinay boxer that truly promote the good image of a filipina.Keep it up Ana-The Unfading Champion.
How could I imagine that Beauty and good boxing skills be possible to a female like Ana? And finally become a world champion.What a performance... that really makes this art of science so sweet.Congrats, Ana.
Sorry Ana, I'm taken...I know you'll find one better than me.
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