Puerto Rican WBO 154-pound holder Xander Zayas and German WBA champion Abass Baraou will be putting their respective titles on the line in a unification fight. The two will headline a Top Rank show next year on January 31 ― with Zayas’ home country of Puerto Rico confirmed to be staging the unification bout at the Coliseo De Puerto Rico in San Juan.

Both Zayas (22-0, 13 KO’s) and Baraou (17-1, 9 KO’s) are recent champions, the former attaining his WBO super welterweight (154 lbs) title this past July while Baraou was elevated from his position as WBA interim champion in September.

Neither fighter have yet to defend their titles, making their encounter a unique deviation from usual unificaton fights that creates an intense high-stakes match.

On paper, 23-year old Xander Zayas appears to be the favorite with a slightly better and more nuanced resume against continental-level fighters and a win over former unbeaten top 10/15 ranked contender Slawa Spomer (20-1, 11 KO’s) from Poland.

Baraou, 31, recorded the best win of his career with a victory over former undefeated Cuban fighter Yoenis Tellez (10-1, 7 KO’s) that resulted in him becoming the WBA interim champion ― and eventually elevated to world champion ― at 154 pounds.

The undercard for the upcoming Top Rank event is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.