Zayas Edges Barou to Unify WBA/WBO 154 Titles

Photo - Sumio Yamada

Former sparring partners Abass Baraou and Xander Zayas met with their respective WBA and WBO world titles on the line tonight in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Baraou predictably came forward in the first with the occasional jab while Zayas moved and countered, the busier fighter to be sure.

Zayas was controlling the action at a frenetic pace in the early going, prompting one to wonder how long he could keep it going. For his part, Baraou connected with a solid right in round three as Zayas was stepping back.

Zayas’ movement kept Baraou resetting over and over again. Baraou’s customary late surge heroics were unable to be achieved as Zayas was “feeling it” in front of his home Island crowd. It’s not that Baraou didn’t try. He came out firing in the twelfth, but Zayas had his measure. Both warriors brought it home for the crowd as well as to satisfy their own pride, going toe-toe down the stretch.

The scores read: 116-112 Baraou, 116-112 twice for Zayas, who becomes unified by split decision. Zayas is now the WBO/WBA Unified champ at junior middleweight and 23-0, 13 KOs. The gutsy Baraou falls to 17-2, 0 KOs.

Afterward, Zayas expressed the utmost respect for his friend Baraou and the feeling was mutual. An emotional Baraou uncharacteristically (for most fighters anyway), admitted that he didn’t think he won when asked. For his part, Zayas called out new IBF champ Josh Kelly, WBC champ Sebastian Fundora, Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz.

Other Fights

“Juanmita” Lopez De Jesus, son of legend and former two-time champ “Juanma” Lopez, had to deal with scrappy Conner Russell Goade in a hard fought super flyweight six rounder. Goade was deducted a point for a flagrant low blow in the second. Lopez invested heavily in body work, trying to sap the energy from Goade. It didn’t appear Goade was slowing much, but it did pile up points for Lopez. Goade would finish with swelling around his eyes and Lopez with a cut outside his right eye. Both warriors knew they were in a fight at the end of the six rounds. The judges saw it: 60-53 x 3 for Lopez De Jesus, now 5-0, 2 KOs. Goade falls to a tougher-than-he-appears 8-5, 7 KOs.

Super featherweight hometown boy Carlos Jamil De Leon Castro battled tooth and nail with the durable Mexican journeyman Diuhl Olguin over nearly six workman like rounds. A hairline cut on Olguin blood profusely but did not adversely affect his vision. Just when it looked like the fight was going to go the full six rounds, Castro started unleashing a series of right hands with some lefts mixed in, forcing a standing stoppage at 1:31 of the sixth and final round. Castro’s record now stands at 7-9, 6 KOs while Olguin falls to an astonishing 17-48-7, 20 KOs.

Super Flyweight Yadriel Caban Gerena blew out Jeremis Hernandez-Torres with two crushing knockdowns, ending matters at 1:46 of the first round. Caban’s record improves to 3-0, 3 KOs, while Jeremis Hernandez-Torres falls to 2-3.

Dominican Euri Cedeño was hoping to put the middleweight division on notice as he took on Etoundi Michel William (Brazilian by way of Ivory Coast). Cedeño dropped William twice in the first round but William would prove to be a tough out. By the third, Cedeño’s pace slowed ever so slightly after having gone all out in the second as well. William actually landed two eye-catching right hands that snapped Cedeño’s head back twice in the fourth. Just as Cedeño rocked William near the end of the fifth, William came back with another long right to snap Cedeño’s head back over the top rope again.

Cedeño opted to set up his shots with some boxing instead of brute force in the second half of the bout. Regardless, William did what seemed impossible in the first three minutes of this fight and made it the full ten rounds. The scores were as follows: 100-88 x 3 for Cedeño, who moves to 14-0-1, 12 KOs. The tough-as-nails William loses his third straight to fall to 16-3, 12 KOs.

Opening the show in San Juan, former welterweight title challenger Giovani Santillan outworked an awkward gatekeeper in Courtney Pennington at super welterweight over ten rounds. Scores were 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 for Santillan, who improves to 34-1, 18 KOs. Pennington falls to 17-11-3, 10 KOs.