Xander Zayas vs Abass Baraou Preview Jan. 31st, 2026
Unbeaten WBO Junior Middleweight Champion Xander Zayas is set to battle WBA Beltholder Abass Baraou of Germany in Zayas’ homeland of Puerto Rico this Saturday, January 31st. The 12-rounder can be seen live on the Top Rank Classics channel which can be picked up for free on Tubi TV and Roku as well as a couple of other platforms. Zayas won the vacant title in his last outing when he beat Jorge Garcia Perez by a wide 12-round unanimous decision. In his previous bout last Valentine’s Day, Zayas stopped Slawa Spomer in the ninth round to defend his NABA, and WBO NABO Junior Middleweight Belts. Baraou also won his title in his last contest as he beat Yeonis Tellez via a comfortable unanimous decision in August after dropping him in the final round.
Zayas vs Baraou Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Abass Baraou +340
- Xander Zayas -500
My Pick
Zayas fights out of Sunrise, Florida and is just 23 years old, making him one of the youngest world champions at the moment. He’s boxed 112 rounds since making his pro debut in 2019 following his amateur career and carries around a perfect mark of 22-0 with 13 Ko’s for a current knockout ratio of 59.1 per cent. He’s stopped six of his last 13 opponents but has gone the distance in three of his past four bouts. Zayas measures 5-feet-10-inches tall with a 74-inch reach. As an amateur he had over 130 fights from 2007 to 2018 and captured 11 national championship events including the 2018 U.S. Youth National Championships.
He captured the vacant WBO NABO Super Welterweight Title in August, 2022 when he stopped Elias Espadas in the fifth round after dropping him in the opening stanza. Zayas then added the vacant NABF Title four months later with an eight-round unanimous decision over Alexis Salazar Flores. He has defended both belts against Ronald Cruz, Roberto Valenzuela, Jorge Fortea, Patrick Teixeira, Damian Sosa and Slawa Spomer. However to be honest, he’s yet to face a legitimate top world-class contender. But perhaps that’s expected of a 23 year old.
The 31-year-old Baraou turned pro in 2018 and has 131 rounds of experience under his belt since then. He stands just under 5-feet-10-inches tall with an unlisted reach which means he gives up just half-an-inch in height to Zayas. He makes the ring walk with an impressive mark of 17-1 with 9 Ko’s and isn’t a knockout artist by any means as 52.9 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage and five of his past seven fights have gone the distance including his past four.
As an amateur, Baraou won a bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships and a gold at the 2017 European Championships as a welterweight and was a three-time national champion. He won the German Junior Middleweight Title in 2018 in his second pro bout when he beat Denis Krieger by 10-round unanimous decision. Baraou added the vacant WBC International Junior Middleweight Belt in 2019 with a 12-round unanimous decision over Carlos Molina and the vacant IBO Continental Junior Middleweight Crown via a sixth-round TKO over Brian Damian Chaves in 2022.
Baraou then edged Sam Egginton by a 12-round majority decision in 2024 for the vacant European Junior Middleweight Title. He also has wins over Hugo Noriega, Jay Spencer, John O’Donnell and Ali Funeka. His lone pro defeat came at the hands of Jack Culcay via a 12-round split decision in 2020. All 18 of Baraou’s pro opponents entered the ring with a winning record.
Prediction…
This should be Zayas’ toughest test and while he appears to have all of the tools needed to succeed he isn’t really the most exciting boxer out there. However he may be forced to fight this weekend as the unheralded Baraou should let his hands go. He upset Yeonis Tellez to win the WBA Title and made a name for himself to boxing fans in the USA. He was a fine amateur and has adapted well to the pro ranks and should be a handful for Zayas. I don’t think a Baraou win or a draw would really surprise me but since Zayas is eight years younger and fighting at home I believe he’ll be motivated to do just enough to unite these two (WBO and WBA) Junior Middleweight Belts.
The younger Zayas has a slight edge in pure boxing skills.
Play: Zayas -500 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Abass Baraou betting • Xander Zayas betting