‘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 been talking about.

The weakest champion meets his easiest shot

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

Coppinger licks the essay battle

Mike Coppinger broke the story on X on Thursday. It will 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 US.

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.

As in most of his fights, Zayas held and moved a lot. The New York crowd was stone silent and found 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 probably win because he’s tougher, hits harder and is a beautiful combination puncher when he lets his hands go. He has superior physical tools to work with than Xander. What could trip Baraou up is all the movement and holding ability he’ll be dealing with in this fight.

If Zayas holds, Baraou must strike through

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