Xander Zayas faces Abass Baraou on Saturday, January 31, live from the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan. They clash for the unified super welterweight titles, with two belts at stake.
Undefeated 23-year-old Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs) steps through the ropes in front of his hometown crowd, making the first defense of his WBO strap. German-born, Togolese-French 31-year-old Baraou (17-1, 9 KOs) puts his WBA title on the line after claiming the interim strap and being elevated to full champion following Terence Crawford’s move up in weight.
On the Zayas vs Baraou undercard, Puerto Rico’s Juanmita Lopez De Jesus (4-0, 2 KOs) meets Conner Goade (8-4-2, 7 KOs) of Florence, Arizona, at super flyweight. A super featherweight bout pits Puerto Rico’s Carlos Jamil De Leon Castro (6-0, 5 KOs) against Mexico’s Diuhl Olguin (17-47-7, 10 KOs).
An all-Puerto Rican battle features Yadriel Caban (2-0, 2 KOs) against Jeremis Hernandez-Torres (2-2, 0 KOs) at flyweight. Euri Cedeno (13-0-1, 12 KOs) of the Dominican Republic takes on Brazil-based Etoundi Michel William (16-2, 12 KOs) of Côte D’Ivoire at middleweight.
The event opener is a super welterweight bout between San Diego’s Giovani Santillan (34-1, 18 KOs) and Courtney Pennington (17-11-3, 7 KOs) of Brooklyn.
The scheduled welterweight bout between Rohan Polanco (17-0, 10 KOs) of the Dominican Republic and Mexico’s Christian Gomez (23-6-1, 21 KOs) has been canceled. Polanco fell ill late Thursday evening and was forced to withdraw.
Zayas vs Baraou results
Get Zayas vs Baraou full fight card results below.
- Xander Zayas def. Abass Baraou by split decision (116-112, 116-112, 112-116) | Watch video
- Juanmita Lopez De Jesus def. Conner Russell Goade by unanimous decision (60-53, 60-53, 60-53)
- Carlos Jamil De Leon Castro def. Diuhl Olguin by TKO (R6, 1:31)
- Yadriel Caban Gerena def. Jeremis Hernandez-Torres by KO (R1, 1:46)
- Euri Cedeno def. Etoundi Michel William by unanimous decision (100-88, 100-88, 100-88)
- Giovani Santillan def. Courtney Pennington by unanimous decision (98-92, 97-93, 96-94)
Zayas vs Baraou live blog
Xander Zayas defeats Abass Baraou by decision to win championship unification
Puerto Rico’s Xander Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) defeats German-born, Togolese-French Abass Baraou (17-2, 9 KOs) by split decision to retain his WBO super welterweight title and claim the WBA 154-pound belt. After 12 rounds, the judges scored the fight 116-112, 116-112, and 112-116.
Juanmita Lopez De Jesus defeats Conner Russell Goade by decision
Puerto Rico’s Juanmita Lopez De Jesus (5-0, 2 KOs) defeats Conner Goade (8-5-2, 7 KOs) of Florence, Arizona, by unanimous decision at super flyweight. All three judges scored the fight 60-53.
Check out the highlight video below.
Video: Euri Cedeno beats Etoundi Michel William
Here are some of the highlight moments featuring Euri Cedeno as he defeats Etoundi Michel William earlier on the card.
Carlos Jamil De Leon Castro TKOs Diuhl Olguin in sixth round
Puerto Rico’s Carlos Jamil De Leon Castro (7-0, 6 KOs) defeats Mexico’s Diuhl Olguin (17-48-7, 10 KOs) by sixth-round TKO at super featherweight. The referee stepped in and waved the fight off as Castro dominated Olguin with heavy punches.
Yadriel Caban KOs Jeremis Hernandez-Torres in first round
Yadriel Caban (3-0, 3 KOs) defeats Jeremis Hernandez-Torres (2-3, 0 KOs) by first-round knockout in an all-Puerto Rican battle at flyweight. Caban first dropped Hernandez-Torres with a right hand, and then with a left body shot.
Euri Cedeno defeats Etoundi Michel William by decision
Euri Cedeno (14-0-1, 12 KOs) of the Dominican Republic defeats Brazil-based Etoundi Michel William (16-3, 12 KOs) of Côte D’Ivoire by unanimous decision at middleweight. All three judges scored the fight 100-88.
Giovani Santillan defeats Courtney Pennington by decision
Kicking off the action, San Diego’s Giovani Santillan (35-1, 18 KOs) defeats Courtney Pennington (17-12-3, 7 KOs) of Brooklyn by unanimous decision at super welterweight After 10 rounds, the judges scored the fight 98-92, 97-93, and 96-94.
Video: Abass Baraou defeats Yoenis Tellez to claim title
Here’s the highlight video from last August when Abass Baraou defeated Yoenis Tellez by decision to claim the interim WBA super welterweight title. Baraou was promoted to full champion after Terence Crawford moved up in weight.
Video: Xander Zayas beats Jorge Garcia to claim title
In case you missed it, check out the highlights as Xander Zayas defeats Jorge Garcia to claim the vacant WBO super welterweight title last July at MSG in New York.
Zayas vs Baraou: How to watch and start time
Zayas vs Baraou airs live on the Top Rank Classics FAST Channel. The broadcast begins at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT, with the main event fighters expected to make their ring walk at approximately 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT.
To watch on mobile or desktop, visit trboxing.co/TopRankClassics. To watch on your smart TV, check the availability of FAST channel apps and search for Top Rank Classics on The Roku Channel, Tubi, or Vizio.