The two fighters are familiar with each other, having shared about 80 rounds of sparring earlier in their careers, which helps explain why the fight was made. That familiarity does not diminish the difficulty. Sparring is managed, with trainers stepping in and slowing the pace once enough has been seen, conditions that do not exist in a unification fight.
Those rounds also came years ago. Baraou hasn’t fully settled into the pressing style he now relies on, and Zayas hasn’t been asked to manage twelve rounds against an opponent who refuses to give ground. What works in a gym doesn’t always last once the rounds keep moving without interruption.
Baraou fights on his terms, walking forward while throwing, continuing to work when shots land cleanly, and staying in range rather than settling back to single punches or combinations. He accepts contact if it allows him to stay close and keep working, an approach that forces opponents to answer every round.
Zayas wins fights through timing, positioning and control rather than strength. Against someone who is willing to keep stepping in, that control must be constantly maintained, as any lapse gives back ground and provokes pressure.
The fight will take place at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, where Zayas will have the crowd behind him and the familiarity of the house. Crowd energy doesn’t let a pressure fighter give ground if he commits to staying inside. If fights at home play a role, it’s more likely to show up later, when rounds are tight and judges separate clean scoring from constant forward movement.
Zayas was carefully guided from early in his professional career, and that path was closely watched. If this fight goes the distance and leaves room for disagreement, it will be folded into the way his career has been tracked and evaluated thus far.
This fight puts Zayas in front of a seasoned champion willing to take risks from the opening bell, leaving little room to ease the fight. How he handles sustained pressure here will determine how this stage of his career is viewed once the scores are read.
