By Ryan Maquiñana
WBO junior featherweight female champion Ana Julaton travels to her challenger’s homeland on Sept. 30, when she fights Jessica Villafranca at the Polifuncional in Kanasin, Yucatan, Mexico.
“I want to show the boxing world that I will fight anyone, anywhere, at any time, and I will do my utmost to represent the proud Filipina Nation in the great tradition that they come to expect,” Julaton said before traveling to Hollywood’s Wild Card Boxing Club to work with trainer Freddie Roach.
Julaton (9-2-1, 1 KO), of Daly City, Calif., will be making the second defense of her belt after testing the waters at featherweight in June with an eight-round unanimous decision over Angel Gladney in Miami.
Meanwhile, Villafranca, (12-3, 6 KOs), of Nicolas Romero, Mexico, is coming off an unsuccessful attempt to dethrone WBO bantamweight titlist Kaliesha West, dropping a unanimous decision last month.
“We’re extremely excited to be headlining in Mexico because right now Mexico is a hotbed for female boxing,” said Angelo Reyes, Julaton’s adviser. “That’s why we expect the ratings for Mexican and Filipino TV to be huge.
“We know Villafranca has power. We respect that she’s from Mexico. This will be no easy task. The last time we fought in someone’s hometown, we lost. So we’re looking to showcase Ana’s skill set and show she’s improved.”
The event will be broadcast on the GMA Network in the Philippines, both on GMA News TV and GMA Pinoy TV worldwide. Julaton’s last fight with Gladney will air mid-September on GMA as a preview.
In a co-feature of Mexico City-based bantamweights, Danny Flores (9-1, 6 KOs) takes on Ivan Diaz (7-1, 3 KOs), while NABA Canada heavyweight champ Neven Pajkic (16-0, 5 KOs) meets heavy-handed Benito Quiroz (6-1, 6 KOs) of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Canadian cruiserweight prospect Milos Pantelic (1-0-1, 1 KO) will also see action.
Orion Sports Management and Yucatan Boxing will handle promotional duties for the card.
Ryan Maquiñana is the boxing correspondent at Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. He’s a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring’s Ratings Advisory Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his blog at www.maqdown.com or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.