Zayas vs. Baraou: New fans, but not the belts?

Xander Zayas has welcomed Abass Baraou to Puerto Rico with respect, but no intention of surrendering his titles. Ahead of their junior middleweight unification bout, Zayas agreed with Baraou’s claim that the German would gain new fans on the island and at the same time rejected the idea that he would leave as a unified champion. “I agree, Abass is gonna go home with a lot of new fans,” Zayas said. “Just not the belts.”

Zayas and Baraou will meet Saturday at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan in a WBO–WBA unification clash, with both fighters making the first defense of their reigns. Zayas brings his WBO title into the bout after winning the vacant belt last July, while Baraou puts on the line the WBA title he was officially awarded in September. Despite the high stakes, the two share mutual respect built from time spent sparring and helping each other prepare for past fights.

Born and raised in San Juan before relocating to South Florida at age 11, this will be just the second fight of Zayas' career on home soil and his first as a main event. He insisted his first title defense could not be routine, rejecting safer options in favor of facing another champion to make his return to Puerto Rico meaningful.

Baraou earned his place in the unification bout by upsetting Yoenis Tellez last August, scoring a dramatic knockdown in the final round to claim the WBA belt. Zayas said the result did not surprise him, citing his firsthand knowledge of Baraou’s ability from their time in the gym. Once Baraou emerged as champion, Zayas made it clear he wanted the winner, and the staredown that followed set the stage for Saturday’s showdown.