World champion on the way! Following Crawford’s promotion, Abass Baraou is to be named the new WBA champion.
Abass Baraou (17-1, 9 knockouts) made a clear statement with his impressive points victory over the previously unbeaten Cuban Yoenis Tellez (10-1, 7 knockouts). In an intense 12-round battle in Orlando, the Oberhausen native deservedly secured the WBA interim light middleweight title. He is now on the verge of the greatest accolade of his career: the world title.
As WBA President Gilberto Mendoza Jr. has already announced, Baraou will soon be named regular champion. Background: Current title holder Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 knockouts) will move up two weight classes on September 13 to face superstar Canelo Alvarez at super middleweight. With the first punch in this fight, Crawford will automatically lose his world title according to WBA regulations– and Baraou will be promoted to full champ.
This means that Germany will have a world champion at half-middleweight for the first time since 1976. Back then, Eckhard Dagge was the only German to win a world title in the limit. A possible duel with former undisputed champion Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 knockouts) beckons as the first major challenge at world class level. For Baraou, it would be the chance to finally establish himself among the international elite and write German boxing history.
Text by Robin Josten