Baraou wins WBA interim junior middleweight title over Tellez in Orlando

Abass Baraou stunned Yoenis Tellez with a late surge to claim the WBA interim junior middleweight title by unanimous decision Saturday night at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. Baraou, the 30-year-old German, won on the judges’ scorecards 116-111, 115-112 and 117-110 after dropping Tellez in the final seconds of a bruising 12-round co-main event on the DAZN card.

The fight unfolded as a test of power versus movement. Tellez, a Cuban southpaw based in Texas who entered with the interim WBA belt, used footwork and quick hands through the early rounds to avoid Baraou’s advancing pressure. Baraou, however, steadily turned the contest into a close-range war, backing Tellez to the ropes repeatedly and landing heavier, more damaging blows that began to show from mid-fight onward.

Reports differed on the precise volume of the finish, with some accounts saying Baraou unloaded a 20-punch flurry in the final 10 seconds and others describing a string of 10 unanswered punches that culminated in the knockdown. Ringside officials ruled Tellez down in the 12th after he slumped against the ropes with his arm draped over them. He rose but appeared dazed as the final bell sounded. Tellez’s...