Abass Baraou fails in his first title defense in San Juan. Against WBO champion Xander Zayas, the German rarely finds his way into close range – and despite a strong final round, was beaten on points.
Half-middleweight Abass Baraou (17-2, 9 knockouts) has lost his WBA world title in his first title defense. The man from Oberhausen was defeated on points by WBO world champion Xander Zayas (23-0, 13 knockouts) in a unification fight in his native Puerto Rico. Baraou put in a spirited performance, but had problems closing the distance against the faster Zayas for long periods of the fight. The 23-year-old Puerto Rican boxed with discipline from the start, used the jab to control the distance and was wide awake defensively.
Baraou needed several rounds to turn the fight into more of an exchange of blows and thus pull it more in his direction. In the middle rounds, the 31-year-old managed to build up pressure more often. However, Zayas often responded with good counter-attacks. In the final phase, Baraou put all his eggs in one basket. The twelfth round in particular turned into an action-packed spectacle in which the Oberhausen native had his nose in front. But in the end it was not enough, as Baraou also admitted after the fight. Zayas won on two scorecards with 116:112, which overruled an incomprehensible 116:112 scorecard per Baraou by German judge Oliver Brien.
Text by Benni Stroka