ORLANDO, Florida — Everything Abass Baraou had been working toward was right in front of him Saturday.

All that stood between him and the crowning moment he had long been seeking was undefeated interim WBA junior middleweight champion Yoenis Tellez. Both fighters entered what was, for all intents and purposes, a world title fight, believing their skills and pressure would be the difference in the toughest test of their respective careers.

Everything Baraou had to overcome propelled him to earn the crowning momenty, as he won a unanimous decision over Tellez to become the interim WBA junior middleweight champion at Caribe Royale in the co-main event of a Most Valuable Promotions card on DAZN.

“It's an incredible moment for me,” Baraou said after the win. “I've been waiting so long for this moment, and I'm just grateful.”

Baraou (17-1, 9 KOs) of Aalen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, got off to a strong start, keeping Tellez along the ropes for long stretches of the early rounds and landing power shots with both hands to the head and body and consistently punching through the decorated Cuban’s guard. Tellez (10-1, 7 KOs), who fought much of the fight out of the southpaw stance, had some success of his own punching around and through the guard of Baraou.

Through seven rounds, Baraou and Tellez of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, had both connected with 106 punches, according to the DAZN broadcast.

Baraou’s pressure and physical strength started to help him pull away in the eighth and ninth rounds as Tellez started to labor and show the physical effects of a high-level battle of attrition. Sensing his title slipping away, Tellez stepped on the gas in the 10th and 11th rounds to get right back into the fight and set the stage for an epic 12th and final round.

Much like the first 11 rounds, they went back and forth until Baraou landed a blistering combination that sent Tellez reeling to the ropes with just over a minute left in the fight. Tellez fought back, but Baraou found another gear and unleashed one last combination of punches to send Tellez to the canvas for the boxing version of a buzzer beater as the final bell rang after referee Chris Young was done with the count.

Judge Jeremy Hayes had it 117-110, while Nelson Vazquez scored it 116-111 and Efrain Lebron had it 115-112.

“I'm always emotional,” Baraou said. “I always work hard, and I believe in myself. To all my friends and family who always stand behind me, everybody who came out tonight, everybody who supports me, big love.”

Baraou narrowly outlanded Tellez 214-205, further illustrating how close the fight was.

Fight Freaks Unite reported on X that Baraou will be elevated to full champion once Terence Crawford steps into the ring to face Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium on Netflix. It also was reported that he’ll be ordered to face former undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo.

Another contender will be in line for a title shot after Oct. 11, when former unified welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis faces Uisma Lima in a WBA title eliminator in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center. Regardless of how things play out, Baraou is more than ready for whatever challenge lies ahead to begin his title reign.

“I’m going to keep going,” Baraou said. “I'm going to chase the next challenges. It was very special tonight, so I could prove myself to the whole world to prove what Abass Baraou was capable of. I'm happy it worked out in my favor.”