Abass Baraou (17-1, 9 KOs) pulled off an upset, using his power punching to defeat previously unbeaten WBA interim junior middleweight champion Yoenis Tellez (10-1, 7 KOs) by a 12-round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Caribe Royale Orlando, in Orlando, Florida.
The scores
A Storm of Punches
The German native Baraou, 30, cemented the victory by dropping Tellez, 25, in the twelfth round after unleashing a 20-punch flurry of shots in the final 10 seconds of the fight.
Tellez made it through the final seconds but looked hurt as he staggered back to his corner at the end of the 12th. His face was marked up, his lips bleeding, and both eyes swollen from the punishment he’d taken from Baraou.
The Cuban-born Tellez had rallied in the 10th and 11th rounds after being out-punched by the harder-hitting Abass in rounds one through nine. He was fighting well in the 12th round until the final 30 seconds of the round. He looked like he wasn’t prepared for the storm of shots that Baraou unleashed in the final seconds, and lacked the experience to tie him up.
Punch Stats
- Abass Baraou: 214 landed of 745 punches for a 20% connect rate
- Yoenis Tellez: 205 of 674 for a 30% connect rate.
Although the punch stats showed that Tellez had landed with the better connect percentage, it didn’t appear that way. He was missing frequently throughout the fight, throwing uppercuts and hooks that were off the mark. Even when Baraou was in close, Tellez missed with his shots much of the time. His hand-eye coordination wasn’t where it should have been for this kind of opponent.
Baraou repeatedly backed Tellez up against the ropes in each round and landed huge shots. Tellez’s corner wanted him to stay in the center of the ring and throw body shots. However, he didn’t follow their instructions, choosing to headhunt and fight off the ropes. It was the wrong approach to take against a fighter like Baraou.
A New Path for Baraou
With the victory, Baraou is now the new WBA interim 154-lb champion. The current title-holder, Terence Crawford, is busy challenging Canelo Alvarez for his undisputed super middleweight championship on September 13th. If Crawford chooses not to return to junior middleweight, Baraou will be elevated to the new WBA champion.
Last Updated on 08/23/2025
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