Abass Baraou Chooses Free Agency Ahead of Zayas Unification

Abass Baraou is not talking about confidence. He is talking about control.

At a level where most fighters operate with promotional backing, Baraou has chosen to move without that protective barrier. Entering a unification fight as a promotional free agent is uncommon at the championship level, particularly when the contest takes place in an opponent’s home territory. Baraou has accepted that exposure is part of the decision rather than something to be managed around.

He will travel to San Juan to face Xander Zayas without a promotional structure behind him. There is no guaranteed follow up and no defined route waiting if the fight goes against him. Baraou understands that reality and has chosen to proceed on those terms.

The situation is often described as a risk. Baraou rejects that view.

“This ‘risk’ that people see that I’m taking for me it’s no risk,” Baraou told BoxingScene. “I’m flying. I’m living free.”

His explanation is not rooted in titles. It centres on authority over his own career. Baraou has spoken about long stretches spent waiting on calls that produced no direction and conversations that led nowhere. Rather than remaining in that position, he chose a unification fight in which he could secure himself.

“I chose a unification instead of waiting for an offer or big promises,” he said. “I feel more comfortable because the ball is in my hand and I decided what to do.”

Championship careers are usually managed through long planning cycles, particularly when a fighter is traveling into an opponent’s home environment. Baraou has removed that structure and placed responsibility entirely on himself. The fight is not being treated as one step in a broader plan. It is treated as the point at which his standing is defined.

The outcome will determine the direction that follows. Baraou has accepted that his next move will be shaped directly by what happens in the ring rather than by prior agreements or assurances.

“I don’t have to wait for promises to be fulfilled,” he said. “We’re making the move ourselves.”

Baraou’s decision to walk into San Juan as a free agent is a total change of the modern boxing business model. Most champions at 154 lbs are shielded by long term promotional contracts that act as a safety net. By letting his previous deal expire and taking the Zayas fight on a one off basis, Baraou is essentially staging a corporate takeover of his own career.

If he wins, he won’t just have the WBA and WBO belts. He’ll have the ability to create a bidding war between every major promoter in the sport. He is betting that his value in the ring is higher than any contract currently on the table. It’s a move that prioritizes long term leverage over short term security, a rarity in a sport where fighters are often the last ones to have a say in their own direction.