Yoenis Tellez believes he has been overlooked in the junior middleweight division.
Tellez, 10-0 (7 KOs), has moved fast and quietly (in the eyes of some), navigating up the rankings. A Cuban now located in Texas, Tellez takes it in stride, as part of his journey. The 28-year-old Tellez will fight for the second time in 2025 when he returns Saturday against Abass Baraou at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.
“A lot of people don’t say my name yet when they talk about the top at 154lbs,” Tellez told BoxingScene via a translator. "Coming from Cuba, where fighters are built on sacrifice and struggle, I’ve carried that grit into every fight.”
Tellez, who most recently defeated former titleholder Julian Williams in March, currently holds the interim WBA junior middleweight title. The outright title is being held by Terence Crawford, who is scheduled to fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in September at super middleweight.
“I’m already holding a piece of the crown,” Tellez said. “I want the other champions to know I’m coming for the rest of it.
“I want the division to understand that I’m here to take over,” Tellez said. “Every punch landed is my message that Yoenis Tellez is the future of this weight class.”
For Saturday’s fight, he will face Baraou,16-1 (9 KOs), the No. 1-rated contender in the WBA. Baraou, 30, has compiled a seven-fight win streak since his lone defeat, to Jack Culcay in 2020. Last year, Baraou, of Berlin, Germany, picked up the biggest win of his career, a majority decision victory over Sam Eggington.
“I don’t prepare for names – I prepare to dominate,” Tellez said. “Once the bell rings, it’s me setting the pace, me dictating the action and me breaking him down until he has no answers.”
In Tellez’s past two bouts, he has beaten a former junior middleweight belt holder in Williams and a top-15 contender, Johan Gonzalez.
“Those fights reminded me that when I trust my instincts and let my hands go, I’m a problem for anyone,” Tellez said. I faced fighters with reputations, fighters who weren’t supposed to be easy nights, and I broke them.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
