It goes without saying that of the two, Abass Baraou had the far more difficult path than Xander Zayas in their respective title claims.
The same will apply for their forthcoming 154lbs title unification clash, where Baraou, 17-1 (9 KOs), once again hits the road in his quest for greatness. The visiting German boxer enjoyed his first taste of San Juan, Puerto Rico, during a kickoff press conference to formally announce their January 31 WBA/WBO junior middleweight title showdown.
“Coming to Puerto Rico and fighting Xander was an easy decision to make,” Baraou said during Wednesday’s session at Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot, where their scheduled 12-round unification bout will take place. “I’m the man for the job. It’s not the first time I’m doing this. I’m on a mission and willing to go anywhere in the world to do it.
“I am looking forward to going back to Germany with another belt and a few more Puerto Rican fans. It can be knockout. It can be by decision. There will not be anything left untouched in that ring.”
Baraou walked through hell to claim his first title, an interim version of the WBA belt in his August 23 upset win over Yoenis Tellez at Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida. Tellez was the unbeaten secondary titleholder, the house fighter (presented by Boxlab Promotions) and the heavy favorite to prevail.
An exclamation point was placed on a career-best performance when Baraou floored Tellez in the 12th and final round of their thriller. It sealed an eventual unanimous decision victory, with the ultimate reward to come just three weeks later.
Terence Crawford vacated his full version of the WBA title once he entered the ring to challenge – and eventually defeat – undisputed 168lbs champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on September 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The development automatically triggered an upgrade in Baraou’s reign, though he didn’t at all seek a safe or easy opponent for his first title defense.
In fact, he wanted the same thing as Zayas, 22-0 (13 KOs). The shared mindset is fitting, as the two have sparred roughly 80 rounds together in past camps, including for their respective title wins.
To his credit, Zayas pushed hard for a formidable challenge for his own first defense, which was always budgeted as a homecoming headliner.
The unbeaten Boricua claimed the vacant WBO title in a lopsided points win over Jorge Garcia on July 26 in New York City. Zayas was just six weeks shy of his 23rd birthday and remains the youngest current active titleholder.
When presented with the opportunity to defend his title on home soil, Zayas – who was born in San Juan, where he lived until he was 13, when his family relocated to South Florida – pushed Top Rank and his immediate team to secure the best available challenge.
Baraou was not the biggest name available or even the first choice. All that mattered, though, is that he was the only fighter who immediately jumped at the opportunity.
“I’m always looking for great challenges,” insisted Baraou, who has won eight in a row since his lone career defeat more than five years ago. “I showed that in my last fight. Then I was offered this fight and was motivated by this great challenge.”
“This arena will be full of Puerto Ricans and I’m looking forward to that. I can’t wait for fight night.”
