Julian Fernandez sees BKB 59 as far more than his first world-title defense. The unbeaten Tijuana fighter will defend the BKB Super Cruiserweight World Championship against Britain’s Dan “Big Pod” Podmore on Saturday, September 19, as BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing stages its first event in Mexico.
Fernandez, 32, headlines at Auditorio Municipal de Tijuana, his home-city venue, with a chance to become the face of BKB’s entry into a country with deep combat-sports roots. He told reporters he has treated the occasion, and Podmore’s experience, with the respect it demands.
“I’ve been doing my homework,” Fernandez said ahead of the fight, which pits him against a former BKB champion in three weight divisions. “Pit Bull Jr.” knows Podmore brings a long record of bare-knuckle title fights into the Trigon, even if Fernandez has home support on his side.
Julian Fernandez Says BKB 59 Is a Moment for Mexico
BKB 59 marks the promotion’s first show in Mexico and comes through a partnership with Zanfer Boxing, a major name in the Mexican boxing business. Putting a Tijuana champion in the main event was no accident. Fernandez gets the first chance to defend BKB gold in front of his own community while the company introduces its format to Mexican fans.
For Fernandez, that makes the night personal. A title win can mean a lot in any venue, but defending it in Tijuana at an event built around Mexico’s debut gives the bout a different weight. He has the opportunity to show that BKB did not arrive just to run one card south of the border.
The company is clearly using BKB 59 as a starting point for future events, broadcast opportunities and commercial partnerships across Latin America. Fernandez has given BKB good reason to build around him. He is 3-0 in bare-knuckle competition with three stoppage victories, plus a no contest against Yordan Fuentes that did not affect his undefeated record.
His BKB journey began in Denver in August 2025, where he stopped England’s Kevin Greenwood in the first round. He later won the super cruiserweight belt by knocking out Alex Wilson in the opening round. That early-finish record creates obvious interest, though Podmore brings the more established bare-knuckle résumé. The UK fighter enters at 9-4 with eight knockouts and has held BKB titles at heavyweight, bridgerweight and cruiserweight.
Fernandez cannot lean solely on the energy of a Tijuana crowd against a challenger who has spent years in championship situations. His preparation comments point to that reality. Fernandez’s first defense is not being framed as a soft homecoming.
Podmore has the record, the titles and the comfort level that comes from facing a range of opponents under BKB rules. Fernandez has momentum and local backing, but he will need to manage a fighter who has seen several versions of the sport’s biggest nights.
The card gives Mexico more than one championship bout. Cecy Ulloa will face Andy “The CrAsian” Nguyen for the vacant BKB Super Flyweight World Championship in the co-main event. Romario Ovalle vs. Marco Chino Villa, Pablo Felipe Anguiano vs. Ricardo Ramses Rueda and Adrian Gonzalez vs. Javier Santiago Valverde are among the other fights on the main card. BKB 59 begins at 6 p.m. PT and is scheduled to air on VICE TV and Telemundo in the United States, with TalkSPORT carrying coverage in the UK and Ireland.
For Fernandez, though, the key detail is simple: Tijuana gets a world-title main event, and its own champion is at the center of it.
