Xander Zayas vs Abass Baraou has been officially agreed and confirmed for a super-welterweight unification bout between two of the 154-pound champions.
Zayas vs Baraou will reportedly take place on January 31 in San Juan, Puerto Rico with Baraou putting his WBA belt on the line and Zayas putting his WBO belt on the line.
Xander Zayas vs Abass Baraou Confirmed For Super-Welterweight Unification
Both Xander Zayas and Abas Baraou are putting their respective world super-welterweight titles on the line in a unification bout at 154-pounds.
Zayas, the WBO champion, won his belt and became world champion last time out with a unanimous decision victory over Jorge Garcia Perez.
Baraou defeated Yoennis Tellez to win the WBA Interim World Super-Welterweight Title, but has since been upgraded to the full champion due to Terence Crawford vacating the belt and becoming the undisputed super-middleweight champion since.
This means that both Baraou and Zayas are defending their respective titles for the very first time in a compelling unification clash.
Neither fighter features in the top 25 most followed boxers on Instagram, but Zayas certainly has the potential to go on and be one of the biggest stars in the sport at just 23-years-old.
Boxing betting sites will find it tricky to split the pair, with Zayas perhaps a marginal favourite. That being said, Baraou was a sizable underdog in his last contest against Tellez, but put on a boxing masterclass and simply outworked his opponent with his relentless pace and engine.
This unification clash means boxing fans are in for a treat early in the New Year, hopefully setting the tone for things to come from the boxing world in 2026. The more unification fights and best fighters in all weight divisions facing each other, the better.
Xander Zayas and Abass Baraou have agreed to a deal for a junior middleweight title unification fight on Jan 31st at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, sources tell The Ring’s @MikeCoppinger.
Zayas will defend his WBO title while Baraou risks his WBA title. pic.twitter.com/L6qmlJfDRr
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) November 7, 2025
Zayas vs Baraou Set For January 31 With WBO and WBA 154-Pound Titles On The Line
With Xander Zayas vs Abass Baraou confirmed for a WBO and WBA World Super-Welterweight Title unification, the bout has been pencilled in for January 31 next year.
The 154-pound unification is set to take place in Puerto Rico. The 23-year-old has only fought in his home country once, which was his fourth pro fight. Now he is bringing a world title unification to the island as he attempts to assert himself as one of the best light-middleweight fighters on the planet.
The Zayas vs Baraou contest is set to take place at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, according to The Ring‘s Mike Coppinger. San Juan is the capital city of Puerto Rico, which is where Zayas grew up.
The junior middleweight division is one of the most stacked in boxing right now, with names such as Jaron Ennis, Vergil Ortiz Jr, Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev just some of the best fighters on the planet at 154-pounds.
Vergil Ortiz is one of the fighters to watch out for this weekend from the world of boxing, and he may well have aspirations of fighting the winner of Zayas vs Baraou come January 31.
Both Baraou and Zayas are amongst the elite at super-welterweight too, with the winner of this compelling contest perhaps even the out-and-out #1 in the division. Baraou is currently ranked at #10 in The Ring Magazine 154-pound rankings, whilst Zayas is #6.
Whoever wins Zayas vs Baraou on January 31 in San Juan may well become the best fighter in the light-middleweight division in the process.
What a fight boxing fans will witness on January 31 in Puerto Rico as Xander Zayas vs Abass Baraou takes centre-stage in a super-welterweight unification for the WBO and WBA world title belts.
