Xander Zayas vs. Abass Baraou on January 31 in San Juan: WBO and WBA semi-middleweight title unification with historic significance for Puerto Rico.
Xander Zayas has only one goal in mind: to make history. The 23-year-old Puerto Rican and reigning WBO World Light Middleweight Champion will face Germany’s WBA title holder Abass Baraou in a highly charged unification fight on Saturday, January 31. The venue is the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in Zayas’ home town of San Juan – a stage with historical significance.
The Zayas vs. Baraou showdown is only the second title unification ever to be held on the island of Puerto Rico. For Zayas, this opens up the chance to become the youngest active unified world champion – and also the first Boricua to achieve this feat in front of a home crowd.
Zayas (22-0, 13 knockouts) fulfilled a lifelong dream last July when he defeated Jorge Garcia on points and secured the WBO belt. This made him the youngest world champion in boxing at the time. “This is the biggest opportunity of my career – not just because of the titles, but because I’m returning home in front of my people,” explained Zayas. “I’ve waited five years for this. Now I’m coming back as world champion on January 31.”
The Puerto Rican technician wants to do more than just win: “I want to be the first Puerto Rican to win titles on the island. This is extremely important to me. I want to continue to make history and build my legacy.”
Baraou a “good, aggressive fighter”
However, Abass Baraou (17-1, 9 knockouts) is a very dangerous opponent. The German-born fighter secured the WBA interim title in August with a surprise victory over Yoenis Tellez and was elevated to regular world champion a month later. “Baraou is a good, aggressive fighter. Many people underestimate him because he is not well known in the USA,” said Zayas. “We’ve sparred together many times. I know what he brings to the table – and he knows what I bring. It will be a tough test for both of us.”
Zayas expects a real pressure fighter: “He’s a warrior who always marches forward and throws a lot of punches. He’s not better, faster or stronger than me, but he has a lot of heart.” Looking back on the training camp, the WBO champion is confident: “This is the best camp of my career. I’ve grown enormously both physically and mentally. I see it in sparring, I feel it in training. It’s time to make history.”