ORLANDO, Fla. – Abass Baraou dropped Yoenis Tellez in the dying seconds of a brutal battle to take his undefeated record and seize an interim junior middleweight world title at the Caribe Royale on Saturday night. The bout was the co-main event at “MVP Fight Night” on DAZN.
The first few rounds gave little indication of what was to come, as Cuba’s Tellez, boxing out of a southpaw stance, moved smoothly around the ring, firing and moving and preventing Germany’s Baraou, 17-1 (9 KOs), from getting off. But Baraou kept slowly marching forward behind a tight guard and, in the third, succeeded in working Tellez into a corner and firing a combination. Tellez escaped, but it would be a harbinger of what was to come.
In Round 4, Baraou backed his opponent against the ropes and landed thudding blows as Tellez, 10-1 (7 KOs), switched to orthodox in an effort to keep the German off him. Tellez was able to box and move more effectively in the fifth, but still Baraou kept coming. The two men slugged it out in the sixth, but although both men were landing, it was turning into Baraou's kind of fight. Tellez had the faster hands, but Baraou’s were the heavier – and the punishment was beginning to take its toll.
A sign of the impact of Baraou’s punches came in the seventh, as Tellez found it harder to box and move for the full three minutes and at one point simply stopped as Baraou stood in front of him and delivered thumping blows. The eighth saw the two men go back and forth, but Tellez emerged from that frame the more damaged as Baraou began the ninth looking fresher and lighter on his feet.
The ninth was a strong round for Baraou and the point at which he truly seized control. A left uppercut landed, plus a big left hand, and Tellez looked as if he was starting to break down. A series of uppercuts in the 10th pierced Baraou’s guard, but then the German once again worked Tellez to the ropes and landed thudding, punishing blows.
Somehow Tellez found the energy to control the 11th and box from range, but Baraou was merely recharging for one final assault – and he launched it to great effect in the final frame. A right hand hurt Tellez, and Baraou opened up, rocking Tellez and sending him into a corner where he slumped down onto the canvas with his arm over the ropes.
Tellez rose to his feet, but he was a beaten man. The result – by scores of 116-111, 115-112 and 117-110 – was a formality.
“This is an incredible moment for me,” said an emotional Baraou afterward. “I've been waiting so long for this moment. I'm so grateful.”
Kieran Mulvaney has written, broadcast and podcast about boxing for HBO, Showtime, ESPN and Reuters, among other outlets. He presently co-hosts the “Fighter Health Podcast” with Dr. Margaret Goodman. He also writes regularly for National Geographic, has written several books on the Arctic and Antarctic, including most recently Arctic Passages: Ice, Exploration, and the Battle for Power at the Top of the World, and is at his happiest hanging out with wild polar bears. His website is www.kieranmulvaney.com.
