www.gmanews.tv/story/187205/martial-arts-helps-mold-julaton-as-a-tough-boxerCredit Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton’s determination and fighting spirit to her early martial arts training .
And Caesar Julaton II, despite his daughter’s unanimous decision loss to Lisa "Bad News" Brown, is proud of how the two-time world champion held her own against her tough Canada-based opponent.
"She showed courage and determination. She’s been like that even when she’s into taekwondo," said the elder Julaton, who's visiting their relatives in Pozorrubio, Pangasinan, on her daughter who holds a black belt in taekwondo and also knows kung fu.
Julaton, who suffered her second loss in nine (six wins with one by knockout and one draw) professional fights, was supposed to join her father in her first trip in the Philippines but could no longer postpone her scheduled fight against Brown.
She, blood flowing from both eyelids, managed to survive 10 rounds with Brown, but lost her chance to win the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) female super bantamweight crown at Rumble at Rama XI at the Casino Rama in Ontario, Canada on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
It would have been Julaton’s third world title belt after previously winning the International Boxing Association (IBA) female super bantamweight crown and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) female super bantamweight title over Donna Biggers and Kelsey Jeffries last year.
Brown, who also holds the super bantamweight straps in the Women's International Boxing Association (WIBA) International Female Boxers Association (IFBA), improved her record to 17 wins (5 KOs) against four defeats and three draws.
And despite having the physical advantage, Brown overpowered Julaton in the next nine rounds
to frustrate the boxer being billed as the female version of current pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.
Julaton, 29, was 10 years younger compared to the 39-year-old Brown and even enjoyed a three-inch advantage in height and a six-centimeter edge in reach.
The durable Brown, however, overcame all of those disparities as all three judges saw the fight all in favor of the Trinidad and Tobago-born fighter (99-92, 99-91 and 100-91). Julaton only won the first round.
Still, Caesar II said that his daughter would take the loss in a positive way.
"I’ve talked to her before the fight and she seems to have a positive energy and happy. So I know she’ll continue fighting and will treat this loss as a learning experience. If that’s the case, I’ll be there to support her."
Julaton was a silver medalist in the US Amateur Championships before turning pro in 2007. She also won the San Francisco Golden Gloves, the California State Championships and the Diamond belt.
Julaton, who pulled-off impressive wins against Biggers and Jeffries that made her the top-rated challenger for the WBA super bantamweight title belt, seemed not prepared for Brown’s game plan of staying close to her and enduring the variety of punches thrown by the young Filipino-American fighter.
After giving the first round to the faster Julaton, Brown got busy in the second and attacked her
opponents’ body. The crafty southpaw pressed on with her attacks in the next rounds and in the fifth and sixth – on an accidental head butt – opened a cut on both of Julaton’s eyelids.
Fight officials momentarily stopped the fight and allowed the ring physician to check on Julaton, who later cleared the gutsy Fil-Am warrior to continue.
Bloodied and battered, Julaton tried to turn things around but failed to alter the rhythm of Brown, who was clearly in the zone rocking her opponent with a series of punches.
Julaton, who continued to smile and wave at the appreciative Canadian crowd, threw more punches that failed to hit its mark while Brown, clearly the veteran, carefully waited for every opening in her opponents' defense before launching a barrage of bombs.
"I think that’s Lisa’s tactic, to stay close to my daughter. She lunged twice but you can’t avoid the head butt to happen since both of them are very close to each other. And from what I’ve seen Brown is the toughest fight for my daughter," " said Caesar II, who failed to watch her daughter fight at ringside for the first time.
"My son (Caesar III) was there at ringside. It was very painful to see her battered and bruised. And if I was at her corner during the fight, I would have asked her trainers to stop the match.
