Julian Fernandez turned one clean right hand into a historic BKB championship win over England’s Alex Wilson. The Tijuana fighter now returns home to defend the BKB Super Cruiserweight World Championship against Dan “Big Pod” Podmore in the BKB 59 main event on September 19.
Video: Julian Fernandez Knockout Title Win
BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing has released the full fight video of Julian Fernandez’s title-winning performance against Alex Wilson, giving fans another look at the first-round knockout that made Fernandez the first Mexican male bare-knuckle world champion.
Fernandez met Wilson for the vacant BKB Super Cruiserweight World Championship at BKB 52: No Turning Back, held at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut, on March 28. The bout was scheduled for six three-minute rounds, but the title fight ended at 1:07 of the opening frame.
Wilson, who entered from Clock Inn in West Yorkshire, England, was listed at 6 feet tall and 198 pounds with a 4-2 bare-knuckle record. Fernandez weighed 199 pounds, stood 6-foot-4, and had an 80.5-inch reach. He entered the Trigon undefeated, with two wins and one no contest.
The early exchanges showed the size difference. Fernandez used his jab, throwing it in quick succession and testing Wilson’s range. Then came the finish. Fernandez landed a right hand that dropped Wilson and prompted referee Brian Minor to wave off the contest. The official result was a first-round knockout, awarding Fernandez the vacant super cruiserweight belt.
The knockout made Fernandez the first Mexican male fighter to win a bare-knuckle world title. In the post-fight interview, Fernandez said he had fulfilled a dream and kept a promise to the people who supported him. His father, Pedro “Pitbull” Fernandez, a former professional fighter, was in his corner for the championship win.
BKB 59
Fernandez will make his first championship defense in a much different setting: his hometown. BKB 59 takes place Saturday, September 19, at Auditorio Municipal de Tijuana in Tijuana, Mexico, marking BKB’s first event in Mexico and its first show outside the United States and United Kingdom. The event is being staged in partnership with Zanfer Promotions.
His opponent is Daniel “Big Pod” Podmore, a former three-division BKB champion. Podmore enters with a 9-4 record, while Fernandez is listed at 3-0 in bare-knuckle competition, with three stoppage wins and one no contest across his overall body of work.
Fernandez vs. Podmore headlines a two-title-fight card. Mexico’s Cecy Ulloa faces Andy “The CrAsian” Nguyen for the vacant BKB Super Flyweight World Championship in the co-main event.
BKB 59 is scheduled for September 19 at Auditorio Municipal de Tijuana.
