Baraou Gets U.S. Test

Abass Baraou has a U.S. main event two days before the wider Garcia-Benn weekend takes over the boxing conversation. The Berlin junior middleweight faces Giovani Santillan on Friday, September 11, 2026, at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California. ProBox TV lists the event as Santillan vs Baraou, with the show scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET.

This is not an easy reset after Baraou's title-unification loss to Xander Zayas. AXS describes Baraou as the former WBA junior-middleweight champion from Berlin with a 17-2 record and 9 knockouts, while ProBox presents him as a WBA top-five fighter. Santillan brings a 35-1 record with 18 knockouts. The winner stays close to the major fights at 154 pounds.

The Zayas loss still matters

Baraou's last major fight was close, but it was still a loss. In January, he dropped a split decision to Zayas in San Juan after 12 rounds, with Zayas leaving as the unified WBA and WBO junior-middleweight champion. ESPN recorded two 116-112 cards for Zayas and one 116-112 card for Baraou. It was not one-sided, but Baraou now has to show how convincingly he can respond.

Santillan is an awkward opponent for that assignment. The American southpaw fights close to his San Diego base and enters Oceanside as the local name. Baraou has to win clear rounds away from home, control the rhythm and prevent a close fight from drifting toward Santillan through activity and atmosphere.

Santillan brings pressure too

Santillan is not merely the opponent on Baraou's comeback route. AXS lists him as WBO No. 8 and IBF No. 12, and ProBox gives his record as 35-1. His lone defeat came against Brian Norman Jr. in 2024; since then, he has worked himself back toward bigger fights. Against Baraou, he can show that his move around junior middleweight is more than a detour after a difficult welterweight chapter.

The matchup is well balanced because both men need it. Baraou has to prove his narrow defeat to Zayas was not the end of his title-level window. Santillan can strengthen his own case by beating a former champion. For ProBox, it is a main event with ranking value even without a major-arena setting.

More than one fight

The card is not built around one fight alone. AXS lists Luis Alberto Lopez vs Daniel Lugo as the co-feature and Dominic Valle vs Francois Scarboro Jr. as a meeting of unbeaten junior lightweights. ProBox also names 2020 Olympic gold medalist Hebert Conceicao Sousa on the show. Baraou is appearing on a card that has its own U.S. boxing hooks, not only as a European import.

That is exactly what makes the fight relevant from a German perspective. Baraou is not getting a simple home date after the Zayas loss. He has to rebuild leverage in the United States. Oceanside is a useful test: a main event against a ranked opponent, just before louder names dominate the weekend. The winner leaves with a stronger argument for the next title run.