Julaton, trainer realize Argentina not best place for title bout

MANILA, Philippines - It was only on the day of the fight that Ana Julaton realized she wasn’t welcome in Argentina.

The Filipina-American, who failed to defend her WBO super-bantamweight crown against Argentine Yesica Marcos last week, was made to enter the ring ahead of the challenger.

Normally it’s the champion who enters last. But not in Argentina, where Filipino Johnriel Casimero’s big knockout win over Luis Lazarte last Feb. 3 was met by an ugly riot.

Julaton lost the fight via a controversial unanimous decision.

Julaton arrived in Argentina days before the fight, and was greeted with a bouquet of flowers. Little did she know that the warm welcome wasn’t to last.

The Philippine national anthem was abruptly cut in the middle of its playing, and boxing scribe Dennis Guillermo of The Examiner called it disrespectful.

Julaton had also requested that the American national anthem be played during the ring introduction. But it was never played.

Julaton’s trainer and manager, Angelo Reyes, said they were not informed as well that American referee Roark Young could no longer make it to Argentina.

“We were never told that judge Roark Young of Florida was no longer coming,” Reyes told The Examiner.

Instead, Robert Ramirez Sr. worked the bout. The judges for the fight were all Hispanics – Cesar Ramos and Jose Roberto Torres of Puerto Rico, and Ignacio Robles of Panama.

Ramos and Robles both scored it 98-92, and Torres 98-91, for a landslide victory by Marcos.

“It is my strong opinion that had this been scored anywhere else in the world, Ana would have won the decision (even by Split), or the best decision which is a Draw 93-93 (even with the point deduction).

“To not score Round 7, 9 and 10 for Ana is silly. Ana showed how much more skill she has in those three rounds,” Reyes was quoted as saying.

Julaton caught Marcos with two left hooks to the jaw and floored the 25-year-old Argentine in the second round, but as the former pressed her attack, she was warned for a low blow.

Ramirez eventually deducted a point on Julaton in the fifth round, and somehow it stymied the 31-year-old Fil-American.

Julaton’s manager also rued the fact that Marcos’ corner got away with yelling at the referee throughout the fight.

“The last time I checked the rules, a corner cannot yell at a referee constantly throughout the fight, or the opposing fighter, but Marcos’ corner was yelling at the referee the whole time and telling him what to do,” he said.

Not in Argentina.