Ana Julaton speaking from the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas (Photo: Chris Robinson – www.HustleBoss.com)

By Chris Robinson

Every time I catch up with Ana Julaton, there seems to be something new with her career.

Julaton, the former WBO female super bantamweight champion of the world, is actually a few weekends removed from a venture of another kind, as she will be making her ONE Fighting Championship debut on May 2 in Manila, Philippines.

Julaton will square off with Egyptian kickboxing champion Aya Saeid Saber as part of the ONE FC: RISE OF HEROES event but insists that boxing is still a huge part of her life.

Speaking with Julaton at the Mayweather Boxing Club recently, she discussed the importance of her ONE FC debut while also breaking down her friend Manny Pacquiao’s recent rematch victory over Tim Bradley.

This is what the Fil-Am star had to share.

Signing with ONE FC…
“I just recently signed with ONE FC. It’s the biggest MMA company in the world. They have a billion viewership over in Asia. My debut will be on May 2 and I’m really excited. I got to talk to talk to [ONE FC President] Victor Cui. He’s known about my background. I got into boxing because of martial arts. So I have that background on top of the boxing background. And Victor Cui, he just saw a natural fit for it. I eventually would have liked going into the MMA scene. It ended up happening. I got signed and I’m fighting on May 2.”

Training for an MMA match compared to the regimen of boxing…
“Obviously it’s intense. It’s more comprehensive. You’re dealing with all sorts of different ranges. You have the hands and the feet. The elbows and the knees; grappling and so forth. It all comes down to flow. That’s how I always viewed boxing; flow, positioning and who gets their first. And with me, just training out here in Las Vegas, it’s nice to have all these different fighters from different backgrounds. Those who can box and wrestle; and just be able to mix it up. I treat it like any other camp. Everybody’s going to be gunning for me.”

A fighter’s mindset…
“I expect everyone to come at me. I’m able to bring in my name and everything I’ve built up the past ten years onto the stage. Whether it’s a title fight or not, I feel like it’s going to be at that intensity. I just want to fight.”

What it likes to fight in Manila…
“I think it’s a long time coming. It’s exciting to have that venue. Have that stage come into fruition. I can’t wait. It’s in the Mall of Asia and it’s huge. They have a capacity of like 20,000 people. They’re expecting that type of attendance to come out for the ONE FC show. Can’t wait.”

Taking in Manny Pacquiao’s rematch victory over Tim Bradley…
“I thought it was a great fight. It was competitive on both ends. I just feel like Manny was able to utilize his speed and his footwork. And he was able to carry on and win more rounds that led him to victory.”

Bradley’s aggressive frame of mind early in the fight…
“I thought it made the fight really exciting. And I think in this sport, it’s all about being able to pace yourself. I’ve seen a lot of fighters go really fast right at the beginning and they kind of just slowed down towards the end of the fight. I feel like maybe Bradley just couldn’t keep up with Pacquiao’s speed for the duration of the fight.”

Seeing the differences in Pacquiao over the years…
“I see a more-refined one. He’s a lot more calculated. He’s different altogether. If you were having his fight from just recent to even ten years ago when he first fought Marquez, it’s completely different. It’s nice to see that change.”

Manny’s future…
“I think anyone who Pacquiao fights would be a great fight for the fans. It causes interest. I think since he has the name, the stage, people want to gun for him and I think that’s what makes it so exciting.”

Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

Ana Julaton: ‘Anyone who Pacquiao fights will be great for the fans’
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