CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — "King Julian" Delgado at The Apex Boxing Club will be making his Coastal Bend return on Saturday, Jan. 31 in Robstown. Fans can watch a lineup full of Coastal Bend talent chasing Gulf Coast Glory through the partnership of Zurdo Promotions and South Texas Knuckle Up Promotions.
"I know what I have to do and I'm just so ready to get in there," Delgado said. "It's calculated, calm, violence, but when that bell rings on fight night I'm in my zone and there's nothing that can get in the way of it. That's what they'll see."
King Julian won his pro debut by unanimous decision in April 2024 at the American Bank Center, now Hilliard Center. He won 4 straight before suffering his first and only loss by knockout while fighting for the WBC Youth Intercontinental title.
"For eight months I did not fight," Delgado said. "2025 I just trained and I trained and I trained with no fight. Training knowing that I'm going to get a fight again."
Delgado put that hard loss behind him, and since then he won four consecutive fights, one each in the last four months. Dedication like that did not go unnoticed by his trainer Adam Franco, a Ray graduate and former boxer who finished his career 9-0.
"Julian has been somebody that I've wanted from the very start," Franco said. "I remember asking his first coach, 'I wish I had that kid with me. I think I could do wonders with him you know.'"
The King class of 2019 grad's tenth pro fight in the middleweight division will be 6 rounds against Ezequiel Duran. The Amarillo native has a 4-1 pro record, while Delgado is 8-1 with 3 knockouts.
"He's a very respectable opponent," Delgado said. "It's not going to be a pushover fight for me. Both of us are young, hungry prospects."
Delgado is ranked 49 in the U.S. and top 300 in the world. Just a few wins away from earning huge opportunities for himself and Corpus Christi.
"January 31 is the Beatdown in Robstown at the Richard M. Borchard Fairgrounds," Delgado said. "I'm going to be right before the co-main event alongside a lot of other local professional boxers. Come on out this Saturday and help me and the other local fighters to chase our dreams to bring boxing back to Corpus Christi."
General admission tickets are available online at https://www.zurdopromotions.com/. Use code “KINGJ”.
Doors open at 5 p.m. for Gulf Coast Glory boxing with fights starting at 6 p.m. Make sure to be there to see all of the Corpus Christi talent (Jerry "The Corpus Christi Kid" Belmontes, Delgado, Carlos Torres, Juan Garza, Jimmy Garza and Christian Perez). Delgado said when he started boxing back in 2020 he learned about Belmontes and looked up to him.
"8-10 years ago he was the guy. Fast forward you know he's got one last hurrah from saying goodbye to boxing in his hometown," Delgado said. "It's pretty cool. It's like a passing of the torch moment. He was the guy, and now here comes Julian Delgado, "King Juilan", hoping to be the next exciting thing the city has."
