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Puerto Rican star Xander Zayas will kick off 2026 with a historic home soil event. The 23-year-old WBO junior middleweight world champion will face WBA champion Abass Baraou in a title unification fight on Saturday, January 31, at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This will be only the second title unification bout to take place on Puerto Rican soil, following the 2010 light flyweight battle between Ivan Calderon and Giovani Segura. The first fight ever staged at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico was Miguel Cotto’s knockout over Kelson Pinto in 2004. The Coliseo has also hosted world title events featuring Puerto Rican icons such as Calderon, Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez, and Roman Martinez. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with ICON+, Move Concerts, and Noah Assad Presents, ticket on-sale information will be announced soon. Currently, Zayas is boxing’s youngest male world champion. However, his stablemate Abdullah Mason can eclipse Zayas as boxing’s youngest male world champion with a victory in his title fight against Sam Noakes of England on the Benavidez vs Yarde undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia scheduled on November 15. Does Fight Card Date Hint At A Broadcast Deal? Since its multiyear broadcast deal with ESPN came to an end in August, Top Rank Boxing has yet to announce a new broadcast and streaming partner. The lack of any news about an outlet has created concern among many boxing fans, anxious to see the historic promoter’s stable find a home. In the meantime, Top Rank has kept many of its top talents busy with placements on fight cards with other promoters. Recently, Mikaela Mayer won her third division title against Mary Spencer on an Eye of the Tiger card in Montreal. Delante “Tiger” Johnson scored the best win of his career to date on Friday, stopping Nicklaus Flaz on a ProBox TV card in Florida. There is a card featuring Top Rank talent taking place on Saturday, November 15, as WBO World Featherweight champion Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza defends his title against Arnold Khegai of Ukraine at Arena Coliseo in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. It is a co-promotion with Zanfer Promotions, which shares Espinoza with Top Rank. The Espinoza-Khegai stream on Top Rank Classics will feature several Top Rank rising stars and established contenders. But given it’s taking place in Mexico Boxing minds speculate that Top Rank would not stage such an important unification fight as Zayas vs Baraou with one of its most valuable and fan-friendly stars on another promoter’s platform. There is no official announcement, but one seems likely before January 31. Stay tuned. Zayas Insisted on Title Defense In Puerto Rico “From the moment Xander Zayas won his world title, it was clear that his first title defense had to take place in Puerto Rico,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. Zayas had also made his wishes clear that he did not want a victory lap or stay busy type fight in front of his fellow Boricua boxing fans. “The fact that he’ll be facing a fellow champion in front of a packed arena in San Juan makes it that much more special. The Puerto Rican fans are passionate and loyal and deserve to see their champion return home. “This is not a routine title defense. Abass Baraou is a determined champion, an experienced road warrior who will embrace the challenge of fighting on Xander’s home turf,” declared Arum. Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs), born in Puerto Rico and who moved to South Florida at a young age, rose from teenage prodigy to world champion before his 23rd birthday. Zayas won his first regional title in August 2022 with a fifth-round stoppage of Mexican veteran Elias Espadas, then added another belt in December by outpointing Alexis Salazar. After multiple defenses, he climbed to the number one spot in the WBO rankings, and faced upset-minded Jorge Garcia in July at his home away from home in New York City. Zayas earned a one-sided decision just six weeks before turning 23 and less than six years after turning pro as a 17-year-old in Reno, Nevada. “On January 31, we’ll fulfill another dream. This time, I’ll be fighting on my island,” said Zayas. “I’m going to unify two world titles in front of my people at Coliseo de Puerto Rico. We’re going to make history together. See you there!” Should Top Rank reach a broadcast deal prior to the fight, Zayas will have the distinction of being the last main event on ESPN, and the first main event for Top Rank under its new broadcast home. Abass Baraou Ready To Spoil Zayas’ Homecoming Baraou (17-1, 9 KOs) spent his early childhood in his family’s native Togo before returning to Germany at age nine. A standout amateur, he won gold at the 2017 European Championships and bronze at that year’s World Championships, where he lost to two-time Olympic Gold medalist Roniel Iglesias. Baraou turned pro in 2018 and has eight wins since his only defeat, a 2020 split decision loss to former world title challenger Jack Culcay. Baraou introduced himself to a worldwide audience with his breakout performance in August. Baraou upset Yoenis Tellez of Cuba to win the WBA Interim Junior Middleweight title with a knockdown in the closing seconds of the 12th round. Baraou was elevated to full champion after Terence Crawford vacated the title due to his history-making fight with Canelo Alvarez. Baraou has won five consecutive fights outside of Germany, including a 2024 decision over Sam Eggington in England for the European title. “He has his country behind him, and I respect that, because I know what it means to carry that responsibility into the ring,” said Baraou. “I’m preparing to go into Puerto Rico, bring some real heat, and show the world that I’m a true force in this division. Baraou made it clear he means business. “I’m not coming just to show up. I’m coming to make a statement, leave with another belt, and maybe even earn a few new Puerto Rican fans on the way out. When it’s all said and done, the world will know who the top dog at 154 really is.” Juanmita Lopez De Jesus Featured On Undercard Puerto Rican second-generation hopeful Juanmita Lopez De Jesus (4-0, 2 KOs), the 19-year-old son of Juanma Lopez, will also appear on this card. De Jesus will see action in a six-round junior bantamweight bout against an opponent to be named. De Jesus made his pro debut in February with an impressive first-round knockout. He fought in Puerto Rico in April before returning on the undercard of Zayas’ world title victory in July. De Jesus went the six-round distance for the first time in September, winning a decision over Luis Morales. His father won five early-round knockouts at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in his career, including a pair of world title defenses. De Jesus said, “I am incredibly thankful to God for the chance to fight at home once again and to be able to showcase my talent in front of my people. On January 31, we will show the world that Puerto Rico has a great prospect coming straight from ‘The Island of Enchantment’ in ‘Juanmita’ López.”
