Dan Podmore has a massive chance at BKB 59 to add another divisional title to his ledger, but it’s not the one he expected to be fighting for. The ex-BKB bridgerweight champion last beat Jarome Hatch in a bridgerweight title eliminator, but Dan Podmore will clash with the unbeaten Julian Fernandez for Fernandez’s super cruiserweight title.
This Tijuana bout serves as a hometown title fight for Fernandez, with the two headlining BKB’s first event in Mexico. With localized support from Zanfer, BKB 59 transpires on September 19th in Tijuana, Mexico. The timeline for this fight coming together was a succinct one, and when shining a light upon that, Dan Podmore said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Well I was actually on holiday. I was in Zanzibar, Tanzania. I got a message off Joe [Brown], one of the the directors, English directors, and asked me what I was weighing. I thought maybe they’ve got a bridgerweight fight coming up. So, I sort of like half told him I was a bit heavier than what I was. But I kept the weight down. But yeah, he said, “I’ve got an opportunity for you fighting in Mexico.” I was like, “Oh, sweet.” But then, I thought, “Okay, that’s good.” So I thought he was, like I said, he was going to be looking for a bridgeweight fight.”
“He goes, “So, how do you feel about fighting Julian Fernandez for the Super Cruiser [crown]?” I says, “Well, that sort of weight division’s never been on my radar. Not as of yet anyway. Maybe in the future and stuff, but I had no plans on going down to 90 kilos. But another chance at a world title and being in Mexico, being that it’s the first [BKB] event held in Mexico, I thought, why not?”
“Let’s make history again, you know what I mean? So, I thought, yeah, let’s go. I told Joe that I was weighing about 105, 105 kilos, but realized I was about 101. So yeah, we’ve started to come down in weight.”
In terms of possible shifts with dietary considerations or perhaps a different strength and conditioning piece that could be tied toward going down to this super cruiserweight limit, Dan Podmore stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah it’s just sorting the diet. Obviously I eat clean anyway. I pride myself on being a professional athlete and stuff. So I tend to stay in shape. Strength and conditioning all stay the same. Like I say, it’s just cutting out sugar and stuff like that. The weight with a bit of hard graft, the weight will fall off, you know what I mean? So, it’s been tough, but it’s coming down.”
While previously touting Mexican fighters are tough but also giving that similar praise to his fellow Birmingham combatants, Dan Podmore quipped [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Absolutely. If I didn’t think I could win, I wouldn’t have taken the fight. You know what I mean? I’m not one of these guys that would accept a fight just to take a bit of money or this that and the other. For a bit of a holiday or whatever it may be. But, I’ve taken this fight. It’s on the basis that I’m going to win. I’m going going over there and I’m going to do my utmost best to go and try to beat this guy. Everybody he’s fought before they’ve half like fell over in the fight, you know what I mean? That’s something that I will not do.”
“I think maybe there’s a possibility that this fight was offered to a few more other people and it’s been mad being turned down. They’ve given me six weeks to prepare for this. Like I said, I was on holiday at the time. I was actually sipping a beer when I got the call. As soon as I accepted the fight, the beer went down the drain and we started as a means to go on. But yeah, so I’m under no illusion that there are a lot of people that probably turned this fight down against Julian Fernandez. Cuz he’s a very, very, very, very good opponent.”
Dan Podmore blasts yordan fuentes, touts Fernandez’s skills, and the importance of family
With one of the deeper ledgers in bare knuckle history, addressing the skillset of the undefeated champion who has generated all first-round finishes in his bare knuckle efforts so far, Dan Podmore said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Like I said, there’s not much to go on obviously because people haven’t made out the first round with him. Like I said, it’s some of the guys that he fought maybe shouldn’t have been in there with him. They’ve all fell over sort of thing, but the one that surprised me was ‘The Cuban Crocodile’ fight. [Yordan Fuentes] was supposed to be a tough guy. But then obviously Julian was hitting him in the back of the head, but then he used that to get out the fight. Now for me, he quit.”
“He quit. He didn’t want none of it. So, we’re under no illusion that that’s the way that Julian fights. So, we’re more than ready for it… He likes to strike in the clinch. So he’ll like hit like this [motions wrapping around the head strikes]. So there could be a lot of back of the head strikes and stuff like that. But we’re, like I said, more than well prepared for that situation.”
When touching on if this fight breaks down in a big way to the experienced and savvy veteran taking on the exuberant young fiery fighter, Dan Podmore stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah, I think my experience alone should be a huge factor in this. It’s going to be experience verse I’m not sure how old Julian is. But I suppose he’s quite youthful. I say it’s going to be the experienced versus the youthful, you know what I mean? So he’s not had many bare knuckles. I know he’s fought pro gloved. I know that he did a bit of that. I’m under no illusion that he’s not fought some good pros as well gloved. But like I said, this is bare knuckle and we’ve not yet seen Julian get hit.”
“So, we can see how that pans out when he’s got me attacking and not just covering up, being there to be hit sort of thing. Because let’s not make no mistake about this. I’m not going there to lose. I’m going there to do my utmost myo best to bring that world title back to Birmingham, be a fifth time. Five time world champion in four different weight classes. That is the goal at the end of this fight now. So yeah, and that’s what dreams are made of.”
With a deep resume that features BKB heavyweight, bridgerweight, and cruiserweight accolades, when touching upon the crowded nature of his mantel place these days, Dan Podmore quipped [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“You know what, like I said, it’s all stories to tell the grandchildren, and tell the kids and stuff. I’ve done more than any one man should do in his career sort of thing. You know what I mean? I’ve achieved a lot but like I said I’m still not done. I haven’t finished. You know what I’m saying? I still feel amazing. I still feel a million dollars. I still feel good training. I still could take a shot. So yeah, we’re going to see how this one goes. Like I said, Super Cruiserweight wasn’t on the agenda.”
“Seen as on my last fight against Jarome Hatch, I thought that was the number one contender spot for the Marko [Martinjak] fight, the Marko rematch. Like I said, this is just like out of the blue, shot in the dark, you know what I mean? They’v offered it to me. I’ve accepted. So, it’s like a new test. It’s a new test. That’s what I like about it.”
“It’s the unknown. You know what I mean? I want to go and test myself again to the extremes of pushing my bodies to the limit and see how we come out in the end. That’s what I’m about. That’s why I’m in the sport. This is why I fight the guys that are best in the world. That’s basically it.”
