Berliner Baraou celebrates a strong US debut and puts himself in position for a world title fight for the WBA title after a points win over Yoenis Tellez.
Berlin’s Abass Baraou has made an impressive return to the big stage: In his US debut, the half-middleweight secured the WBA interim world title with a clear points victory over the previously unbeaten Yoenis Tellez. The fight took place on Saturday evening at the Caribe Royal in Orlando, Florida and was broadcast live on DAZN as part of an event organized by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
Baraou (17-1, 9 knockouts) impressed with his cleverness and precise punch work over the full distance of twelve rounds. His Cuban opponent Tellez (10-1, 7 knockouts) showed heart and bite, but had to go down in the twelfth round after a hard right and subsequent punch combination. Visibly battered, he dragged himself to the corner of the ring, but bravely picked himself up again and fought on until the final bell.
The judges scored the fight unanimously in favor of the German: 116-111, 115-112 and 117-110 – a deserved victory for the 29-year-old. “This is an incredible moment for me. I’ve waited so long for this. I’m just grateful,” said an emotional Baraou in the DAZN interview after the fight.
With this triumph, Baraou has put himself in pole position for a world title fight against current WBA champion Terence Crawford. However, Crawford is expected to relinquish his title as he faces the undisputed super middleweight champion Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez on September 13. Should Crawford relinquish the belt, Baraou could be promoted directly to full WBA world champion.
Lurking behind Baraou is US star Jaron Ennis, who is ranked second in the WBA rankings and is set to make his super welterweight debut against Uisma Lima on October 11.