From the opening round, Zayas boxed with patience. He worked behind a jab, ripped the body while moving, and avoided Baraou’s counters by staying off the centre line. Baraou had good moments, especially with the right hand, but Zayas stayed a step ahead through positioning rather than force.
Zayas doubled up the jab, switched targets, and refused to stand still. Baraou tried to draw him into traps, landed clean in the third, and kept the fight competitive, yet he never fully took control.
When Zayas proved he could think late
The middle rounds were where Zayas separated himself. He increased volume without losing shape, mixed combinations, and chose when to trade. Baraou pushed harder in the seventh and pulled a round back, but Zayas responded by tightening his work rather than drifting.
By the ninth, Zayas hit his best rhythm. Combinations and angles followed punches. Baraou struggled to keep up and was forced to react rather than lead. Zayas looked comfortable making decisions while tired, a sign of a fighter who trusts his conditioning and timing.
The championship rounds removed doubt. Zayas stayed engaged, accepted exchanges, and kept his output high even when Baraou tried one last push. That choice likely won him the fight on two cards.
Zayas boxed with maturity through round ten and eleven, then finished the twelfth still punching.
Zayas improves his standing at 154 pounds by beating a proven operator without shortcuts. He did not look perfect. He looked ready. Baraou showed grit and skill but lacked sustained control when it counted.
This was Zayas showing he can handle long nights against real opposition.
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