When Abass Baraou steps into the ring against Xander Zayas on January 31, he won’t be facing a total stranger.
The WBA junior middleweight champion, who is attempting to unify his belt with Zayas’ WBO title, says he has sparred a few times with his unbeaten opponent, which has helped him familiarize himself with what he will see in the ring.
“Xander is very talented. He has a lot of skills,” said Baraou, 17-1 (9 KOs), according to a release from promoter Top Rank.
“I know he has good footwork and lots of skills. But I've put the work in, and I'm ready to go to Puerto Rico and become a unified champion."
The fight, which takes place at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan, will see the world-traveled German fighting on his opponent’s home soil, a scenario he has experienced many times, like in 2024, when he traveled twice to England to defeat Sam Eggington and Macaulay McGowan. Baraou says he doesn’t believe that the crowd being in his opponent’s favor will have any impact on the fight.
"I will always be myself in the ring. Even if the fight were in Germany, I’d have the same mindset. I don’t care where the fight is. There’s a man I have to beat to accomplish my goals. The fight is in Puerto Rico, but it doesn’t add more pressure,” said Baraou, 31, of Berlin.
Baraou became a champion in his most recent fight, in August, when he defeated Yoenis Tellez by unanimous decision in Orlando, Florida to win the WBA interim title, which was promptly upgraded to full status when Terence Crawford vacated the belt after moving up to 168lbs to become undisputed champion. While the fight was Baraou’s introduction to the world stage, he says he has more abilities than fans have seen.
“I haven’t shown what I’m capable of yet. I have a lot of experience from my amateur career. I know how to adapt. If I have to fight more technically, I can. I know how to box. However, most of the time, I break down fighters. I can do that best. But it also depends on the situation. I can also show more skills,” said Baraou, who is training for the fight in Miami, Florida.
“Coming forward is something I do well. Many fighters have issues with pressure. I haven’t seen a fighter who can stand a chance with mine yet. So, I know I can bring a lot of pressure in this fight. But we’ll see. That might be the key in this fight. We’ll see on fight night.”
While some may become complacent after achieving a major life goal like becoming world champion, Baraou assures that isn’t the case with him.
“Becoming a champion has made me hungrier. It hasn’t changed my personal life. I’m still focused on boxing. But seeing all the opportunities and the fights that can be made is amazing, it’s made me more focused and hungrier,” said Baraou.
