Abass Baraou faces Giovani Santillan on Friday, September 11 at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California. The 10-round super welterweight bout headlines a ProBox TV card. Tickets for the event are on sale via AXS.com.
31-year-old Baraou (17-2, 9 KOs) returns to the ring after losing his WBA title to Xander Zayas in January in Puerto Rico. Ahead of the event, the German-born, Togolese-French former champion signed with Top Rank.
“Signing with Top Rank is a huge step in my career,” Baraou said. “I’ve always believed I belong on the biggest stage, and now I have the right team behind me to chase the biggest fights in boxing.”
“Top Rank has a history of building champions, and I’m proud to join that legacy. I’m grateful for this opportunity, but this is only the beginning. My goal is clear: become world champion again.”
Santillan (25-1, 18 KOs) aims for his fourth straight victory since falling short against Brian Norman Jr. in his bid to claim the interim WBO welterweight title in May 2024. The 34-year-old San Diego southpaw comes off a unanimous decision victory over Courtney Pennington on the Zayas vs Baraou undercard.
The Baraou vs Santillan undercard features an all-Mexican showdown between former IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez (32-3, 19 KOs) and Daniel Lugo (28-4-1, 19 KOs).
Plus, Dominic Valle (13-0, 7 KOs) of Lutz, Florida, and Francois Scarboro Jr. (14-0, 9 KOs) of Arlington, Virginia, square off at super welterweight.