On September 13, 2025, sophomore Julian Pulido performed with a band on the accordion at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, during the Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Álvarez fight.
“It was a really special moment,” Pulido said. “It is really a big achievement. I think it was a really proud moment, probably one of my best. It is my biggest accomplishment so far. I was pretty nervous ’cause I’ve never played in front of that many people, but I was more excited.”
Pulido is a member of the band Rosendo Robles y su Gente VIP (Rosendo Robles and his VIP Crew). The group performed the song “Canción del Mariachi” from the film “¡Muy Desperado!” in front of 70,000 live spectators and an estimated 41.4 million online viewers. The band’s singer, Rosendo Robles, was a childhood friend of Crawford’s and got invited to play with his band at the event.
“That song came out in 1995 and Desperado [¡Muy Desperado!] was one of his favorite movies and he wanted to do something different,” Robles said. “This was my biggest stage and I wanted to share it with them. And in Crawford’s words, he said the performance was fire.”
The audience initially assumed the band was performing for Canelo because of the Mexican-origin music, but it was actually performing for Crawford. Pulido, the youngest member of the band, took part in a performance that held significant meaning.
“What made me decide to include him and everyone else who was there, was to show the world that you can make it out of Omaha, Nebraska because it’s not a very musical city,” Robles said. “I wanted to show all the younger musicians in the area that we are all talented enough to make it to the big stage and they helped me show that.”
Pulido arrived at the event separately from the band due to school obligations, but he was able to explore the Las Vegas Strip a few days before the performance. He and the band had rehearsed three months prior to the event, with additional practice sessions in the days leading up to the fight. Pulido also had the opportunity to meet other well-known figures in the entertainment industry.
“I got to be with Crawford the day before, and I did get to meet a couple of famous boxers like Andy Ruiz and UFC fighter, Nate Diaz,” Pulido said. “We were just exploring Las Vegas and walking around the strip. And then Friday we had to do a rehearsal at the stadium. Saturday we had to do a rehearsal in the morning and then the day of the fight.”
This was the largest event Pulido had performed at, but he is not new to performing. He has played at both small and large private events, parties, and festivals, including the annual Cinco de Mayo Festival in South Omaha. Shortly afterward, Pulido was invited to a promoters’ meeting in Las Vegas aimed at scouting up-and-coming musicians.
“I’ve performed in small parties, big parties, festivals like Cinco de Mayo, wherever we are hired,” Pulido said. “You know, being on a big stage showed me that big opportunities are possible at a young age.”
Robles discovered Pulido at a young age when he was performing at local live events. Since then, Pulido has played with the band for about two years. Robles later invited him to join the main group, which led to additional performance opportunities.
“What stood out to me was his hunger to play and be someone in the music scene,” Robles said. “What made me invite him to play with me was that I saw and still see a lot of potential in him. I saw that he was hungry to learn and I’ve always believed that you need to help the younger generation. He is like the baby of the band, he is like our little brother.”
Pulido has been playing the accordion for four years, starting after he watched a video. His grandfather, Fernando Pulido, introduced him to the instrument. Pulido began taking lessons, and his grandfather later got him a custom-made Italian accordion, shipped directly from Italy, for him. This was the accordion he performed with at the fight.
“One day I was on the phone, I found out that it was an application for the accordion and I told Julian to try it,” Fernando Pulido said. “He is very persistent in everything that he likes. If he likes something, he does it, no matter what.”
Pulido continues to pursue his future as a musician. He plans to continue playing the accordion and aims to gain more exposure through performances.
“My next step in my music career is trying to make my own band and start to get more exposure and performances around the area and hopefully expand around the country,” Pulido said.
