Abass Baraou defeats Yoenis Tellez, becoming the new interim WBA junior middleweight titleholder

Abass Baraou schooled the Cuban prospect Yoenis Tellez, ripping his interim WBA junior middleweight belt, handing him his first loss in a unanimous 12-round decision at Caribe Royale Orlando. Despite close punch outputs from both fighters, the German’s pressure caused frustration, and he delivered the harsher blows, winning his eighth fight in a row.

The result taught us that Baraou, who fights like a starving junkyard dog, can run it with the top guys at 154 pounds. Tellez, who was fighting without his usual trainer Ronnie Shields for Edward Jackson, still has lots to learn before he’s ready for prime time. One of his problems was switching out of stances at least multiple times, looking for answers as his foe kept coming.

Baraou stood in his corner at the end of round three as Tellez sat in his after three minutes of getting walked down and pieced with hooks, a few jabs plus uppercuts to the face and midsection.

The fight had moments, evolving into a street brawl, but Baraou won most of those exchanges. He had little to no respect for what was coming his way, delivering a combined 101 power shots between rounds five and 10 as his younger rival landed 94, per CompuBox.

Tellez appeared to be losing steam from the brutal shots he had taken, which included getting caught with three big left hands and a hard right at the end of round nine. But his best stretch came in the 10th and 11th.

Still, a knockdown wouldn’t have been enough to save the Cuban, as he was down too far on the judges’ scorecards. He needed a knockout, but Baraou unleashed a few combinations in the 12th and knocked him down as he tried to escape off the ropes. There wasn’t time left for retaliation.

The judges scored 116-111, 117-110 and 115-112 for Baraou, the new interim WBA champ. Then Xander Zayas, the WBO titlist at the 154-pound division, stepped into the ring for a friendly face-off with the winner.

On Sept. 13, Terence Crawford, who is the reigning titleholder, will be stripped, according to WBA president Gilberto J. Mendoza, first reported by Dan Rafael of Fight Freaks Unite.

After the fight, Baraou said, “It’s an incredible moment for me. I’ve been waiting so long for this moment, and I’m just grateful.” He vowed to keep going and chase the next challenges.

Additionally, on the Most Valuable Promotions fight night card:

-Ariel Perez  beat Chris Avila in a six-round unanimous decision at light heavyweight (175 pounds). He dominated early, but underwhelmed in the last two rounds. When asked who he wanted next, he said former UFC star Nate Diaz.

-Lucas Bahdi defeated Roger Gutierrez by unanimous decision in 12 rounds. He scored a knockdown in round six.

-Despite going down 25 seconds into the fight, Stephanie Han made easy work of Paulina Angel, defending the WBA lightweight title.

-And the main event between Yankiel Rivera and Angelino Cordova was a draw.