Xander Zayas, Abass Baraou Weigh In Results

Xander Zayas and Abass Baraou made weight in San Juan, setting up a junior middleweight unification that is less about global reach and more about anchoring power at home before anything else moves.

Both fighters checked in at 153.5 pounds ahead of their 12 round fight at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot. Zayas holds the WBO title. Baraou brings the WBA belt. The scale settled cleanly. No drama.

Zayas enters at 22-0 with 13 knockouts, coming off a decision win over Jorge Garcia Perez that earned him the vacant WBO title in July. Born in San Juan and shaped in Florida gyms, this marks his first fight in Puerto Rico as a beltholder. The setting is deliberate. The build has stayed close to the island rather than chasing outside validation.

Baraou arrives at 17-1 with nine knockouts. The 31 year old from Berlin won the vacant WBA title against Yoenis Tellez and has trained out of Miami for several years. He has won eight straight since his 2020 loss to Jack Culcay. The two know each other from sparring earlier in their careers. Neither leaned on that history as an edge.

Why Zayas is positioned as the draw

Zayas explained the night as a continuation, “This is what I have been working for since I was 5 years old. 18 years as a fighter, seven as a pro.” He pointed to pace, not celebration. “I got a world title in my last fight at 23. I’m ready to become a unified world champion.”

He addressed Baraou directly without posturing. “I’m expecting the best version of Abass Baraou.” The shared rounds were acknowledged and dismissed in the same breath. “We sparred almost two years ago. But he’s a champion now.”

The sell came from the fighter. “This is the only fight where you’ll have two world titles on the line.” The belt talk stayed with him, not the platform.

Why Baraou keeps his focus narrow

Baraou sounded comfortable traveling for work. “I go everywhere to make my dreams come true.” He treated the WBA title as a step. “Winning the title was amazing.” His view stayed practical. “I spar to learn. But a fight is different. Gloves are different. No headgear.”

Shared gym time did not interest him. “It was always good work. But a fight is different.” His self read was steady. “I’m an experienced fighter. I have a great amateur background.” He accepted the setting without complaint. “I’ve come to Puerto Rico to put it all on the line.”

The original co-feature will not happen after Rohan Polanco withdrew from his welterweight fight with Christian Gomez. The focus remains fixed. Two belts. One ring. A local crowd that knows exactly who it is watching.

(Top Rank Classics FAST Channel, 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT)

Xander Zayas 153.5 lbs (69.6 kg) vs. Abass Baraou 153.5 lbs (69.6 kg)
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Carlos De Leon Castro 129.7 lbs (58.8 kg) vs. Diuhl Olguin 129.5 lbs (58.7 kg)
Yadriel Caban 115.0 lbs (52.2 kg) vs. Jeremis Hernandez-Torres 114.7 lbs (52.0 kg)
Euri Cedeno 159.7 lbs (72.4 kg) vs. Etoundi Michel William 159.9 lbs (72.5 kg)
Giovani Santillan 153.9 lbs (69.8 kg) vs. Courtney Pennington 153.5 lbs (69.6 kg)