He’s only had it a few months
German boxing professional loses world title
02/01/2026 – 10:47 amReading time: 1 min.
Abass Baraou has to admit defeat on points in a unification fight by Xander Zayas. This marks the end of a short reign as WBA world champion for the 31-year-old.
The German boxing professional Abass Baraou has lost his WBA light middleweight world title after just a few months. In a unification fight against the undefeated WBO champion Xander Zayas, the 31-year-old lost on points on Saturday at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico.
Two of the three judges scored the fight over twelve rounds with 116:112 each for the 23-year-old local hero. Only one judge saw Baraou ahead with the same point ratio.
For Baraou, who commutes between Oberhausen and Berlin, it was the second defeat in the 19th professional fight of his career. The German only secured the WBA interim title in August 2025 and was promoted to regular world champion shortly afterwards after champion Terence Crawford changed weight classes.
Zayas, however, remains undefeated in his 23rd professional fight and now has two world titles in the light middleweight division.
