In the early 90’s, the professional ranks of boxing was introduced to a young contender (Oscar De la Hoya) with a warrior spirit, a ton of heart, a great set of boxing skills, and a golden smile. Roughly a year outside of his retirement, the sport has seen a few comparable money makers, but no one to quite take that ‘golden’ mantle, possessing that unequivocal triple threat of talent, measured accomplishments, and strong marketability.

Usually the hunt for the next ‘golden’ fighter starts on the male side of the sport, but in a world of constant change, perhaps there’s no better time than the present to switch back to an old mantra….like “ladies first”.

In only a short time, one particular female fighter has set out to do the impossible, and in many ways, has pretty much done it. Her quest in the sport started as a pre-scripted mission that came with no promises, and a detailed to-do list with a short margin for era.

28 months into the mission and suddenly that to-do list has shrunken considerably, containing only a few things, many in which can be attained within the next calendar year, literally.

At a distance, one may ask the rhetorical question, “how accomplished can a fighter really be after less than 3 years in the sport”? Well, for starters, the talented Filipina has done something that has NEVER been done in the history of the sport by either man or woman.

A history withstanding the likes of Ali (both Muhammad and Laila), Tyson, Robinson, Mayweather, Pacquiao, and many more. That incredible, yet rarely mentioned feat was becoming a unified champion of a weight class in only 8 pro fights.

An early loss and complete anonymity at the time made the former champions she would ultimately face view her as merely a stepping stone. Unfortunately for them, they were the only ones that held this belief.

Entering the ring with less than 8 pro fights against champions who held 51 and 28 battles under their belt respectively seemed an impossible task, but before the night ended, both champions would realize that an uncontained will is far more dangerous than any attribute a warrior can possess. Particularly when it comes to a person who has nothing to lose, yet everything to gain.

By her own admission, that plan is to take nothing for granted, make every effort her best, and do as many big things in as little time as possible, because contrary to the belief of many, there is life after boxing.

For Ana, there was a vision of what she wanted to accomplish in her time here, but her other vision sets the blueprint of what can be accomplished beyond the sport. This dual vision plan is part of what makes Ana unique. Becoming a boxer happened quite by circumstance. Only a few years ago she had no idea her life would take this path, but when it did, she responded by giving it her all and has never looked back.

When asked how she could possess an edge that allowed her to become potent enough to pull off some of the things she has done in such a short period of time, Ana revealed that every step of the way, every odd circumstance she encountered served as a tool for motivation.

One telling testament came from hearing ring announcers miss pronounce her name in her early days. Who would think such a common mistake would drive a person so much to the point of accomplishing things so grand, that not only would the announcers one day have a reason to say her name properly, but the rest of the fans around the sport as they read the history books as well?

This type of silent determination is what has propelled Julaton to uncharted heights and the Filipina is fully aware that this is no time to be distracted.

Female boxing continues to thrive as more and more competitive women have began to fill the ranks. With a number of contenders eying the same goal, it won’t be easy, but even for those who feel they can’t identify a bona fide champion yet, there’s no question who the ‘Golden Girl’ is when we measure accomplishments ounce for ounce, pound for pound.