Baraou Heads Into Lion’s Den To Rip Zayas’ WBO Title

WBA junior middleweight champion Abass Baraou (17-1, 9 KOs) will be on the road once again, fighting WBO 154-lb title-holder Xander Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs) on January 31, 2026, at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

There’s no information from Top Rank, the promoters of the Baraou vs. Zayas event, regarding the broadcast platform for January 31st. Boxing fans will be interested to know.

Top Rank’s long-running eight-year broadcast deal with ESPN ended on July 26, 2025. Since then, they’ve been without a home. Surprisingly, they haven’t found another broadcast platform for their talented fighters to showcase their skills.

Can Zayas Take the Heat?

The German Baraou, 31, will be coming into enemy territory to rip the WBO title from the 23-year-old, inexperienced Puerto Rican Xander in his first defense of his crown. It’s a fight that Baraou will need a good set of wheels to catch Zayas, as he’s a mover and he tends to hold a lot.

Baraou looked outstanding in his last fight, defeating WBA interim 154-lb champion Yoenis Tellaz by a 12-round unanimous decision in a pure war on August 23, 2025. A month later, the WBA elevated Baraou to full junior middleweight champion on September 21 after the previous champion, Terence Crawford, vacated that title.

Clinches and Complaints

Zayas captured the vacant WBO 154-lb title in his last fight, beating Jorge Garcia Perez by a 12-round unanimous decision on July 26, 2025, at Madison Square Garden in New York.

It wasn’t a pretty fight to watch unless one enjoys watching movement and frequent holding. Those were the tactics that Xander used to neutralize the Marqarito-esque pressure and inside skills of Garcia Perez.

The 23-year-old Zayas fights nothing like Puerto Rican talents from the past, Felix Trinidad and Miguel Cotto. As far as Chris Williams can tell, there’s no resemblance at all in Zayas’ fighting style to those greats. If Xander held and moved less, he would have a better chance of measuring up to those retired legends.

Baraou’s Statement of Intent

“I give him full credit for stepping up and accepting this fight. Not everyone would take that risk, especially at this stage, but that’s what makes this matchup special,” said Baraou. “I’m preparing to go into Puerto Rico, bring some real heat, and show the world that I’m a true force in this division. I’m not coming just to show up. I’m coming to make a statement, leave with another belt.”

For Barou to win, he’s going to have to have fast feet to catch up to Zayas, as he’s going to be on the move throughout. Also, Abass will need an answer for the clinching that Zayas will be using, as that’s a big part of his game.