Abass Baraou is currently Germany’s only boxing world champion – and may soon be twice. The 31-year-old will have a historic opportunity at the beginning of 2026.
Abass Baraou will have the chance to be crowned unification champion of two world associations in the light middleweight division next year.
As the American boxing bible “The Ring” reports, citing unnamed sources, the WBA world champion from Oberhausen will meet local hero and WBO title holder Xander Zayas on January 31st in San Juan/Puerto Rico.
After sport.de-Information is accurate, the fight will be officially announced next week.
Baraou won the WBA belt in the limit of 69.85 kilograms in September in New Orleans in a spectacular wrestling match against the favored Cuban Yoenis Tellez with a unanimous points victory.
Does Baraou do it like Michalczewski and Ottke?
First, the boxer from the Ruhr region captured the association’s interim title. Because superstar Terence Crawford moved up two classes to super middleweight a little later and dethroned world champion Canelo Alvarez, the WBA upgraded Baraou to full world champion.
“I knew I had what it takes to be a world champion. All the work has paid off, the sacrifices I’ve made. I’m just happy. But I’ve already made progress on one thing: Now I have to remain world champion!”, said Baraou sport.de-Interview explains his route after success in the USA.
The German (17 wins, 1 defeat) will go into the away game against Zayas, who is undefeated in 22 professional fights, as a “free agent”, i.e. without a permanent promoter at his side. His contract with Wasserman (formerly Sauerland) expired with the fight against Tellez.
In Puerto Rico, Baraou has a historic opportunity. To date, only two German boxers have managed to unify the belts of several major world associations: Dariusz “Tiger” Michalczewski (light heavyweight/1997, WBA, WBO, IBF) and Sven Ottke (super middleweight/2003, WBA, IBF).
Baraou’s World Cup victory in New Orleans already had a historical note: Before him, only two Germans, boxing legend Max Schmeling (1930) and cruiserweight Noel Mikaelian (2023), had won a world title fight across the pond.