‘Easiest’ Unification Is Really A Trap

By veteran fight analyst Chris Williams – Colossus Boxing: Junior middleweight champions Abass Baraou (17-1, 9 KOs) and Xander Zayas have a unification fight in the works for January 31st at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is the homecoming fight that newly crowned WBO 154-lb champion Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs) has talked about.

The Weakest Champ Meets His Easiest Shot

It’s the most winnable one for the 23-year-old Top Rank-promoted Zayas, who is viewed as the weakest link among the champions at 154. Still, it’s far from a sure thing for the Puerto Rican native Xander. WBA junior middleweight champion Baraou, 31, is slow, methodical, and can be outmaneuvered by a runner like Zayas.

Coppinger Leaks the Set-Up Fight

Mike Coppinger broke the story on X on Thursday. It’ll be a simple two-belt unification fight that will give Zayas a chance to become a star in the New York area, but probably not elsewhere in the U.S.

Xander captured the vacant WBO 154-lb title on July 26, defeating Jorge Garcia Perez by a wide 12-round unanimous decision on July 26, 2025, at Madison Square Garden in New York. The scores were 116-112, 118-11,0, and 119-109.

Like in most of his fights, Zayas did a lot of holding and moving. The New York crowd was stone quiet, finding very little to cheer about because there was so little action. There are no words to describe how boring Xander made the fight, but that’s how he fights.

If Zayas stands and fights, Abass will likely win this because he’s tougher, hits harder, and is a beautiful combination puncher when he lets his hands go. He’s got superior physical tools to work with than Xander. What could trip Baraou up is all the movement and holding that he’ll have to deal with in this fight.

If Zayas Holds, Baraou Must Smash Through

If Baraou fights through the constant clinching that Zayas does by continuing to hit him with a free arm, he’ll win because he’s got more pop in his punches. Overall, he’s a tougher fighter than Xander is in this match-up. The fight will take place in Puerto Rico, which will make it difficult for Abass to win without knocking Zayas out.