When Abass Baraou marches into enemy territory for a career-biggest fight to date, a familiar face will stand across from him.

Baraou's path to notching another resume-altering win will have to go through Xander Zayas when they meet in a WBA and WBO 154-pound unification title bout Jan. 31 at Coliseo De Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The two have sparred several times in recent years as world-level contenders and while Baraou isn't entirely dismissing the experience they've previously shared in the ring, doesn't put too much stock in what transpired when they wore headgear and 16-ounce gloves.

"I know how he moves [and] how he fights," Baraou told The Ring. "The fight is going to be way different. I can use it to my advantage, but I'm just focused on the fight. Sparring experience can hold a little bit of weight - that's not what I've been focusing on."

Baraou (17-1, 9 KOs) and Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs) both train out of South Florida. Baraou said that he and Zayas spent multiple training camps together, the last coming in 2024.

"We sparred a lot," Baraou said. "We did three or four camps maybe, a good amount of sparring."

Baraou, 31, won the interim WBA title with a thrilling unanimous decision victory over previously-unbeaten Yoenis Tellez on Aug. 23. The German champion capped the fight emphatically by dropping Tellez with 10 seconds remaining.

After the win, the unification clash between Baraou and Zayas was foreshadowed when they stood face to face in the ring.

Baraou was later elevated to full titleholder after Terence Crawford began his megafight with Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 13, thus relinquishing his junior middleweight champion status.

Zayas, 23, won the WBO strap with a one-sided unanimous decision victory over Jorge Garcia Perez on July 26. The win made Puerto Rico's Zayas the youngest reigning male world champion at the time.

With several rounds banked together and Zayas' start to his career, Baraou understands what he'll be up against on Jan. 31. That challenge will ultimately make the win that much sweeter, should Baraou become a unified champion in one of boxing's best divisions.

"I think he's a great fighter," Baraou said. "Talented, skillful, he will make a good fight with me. It will mean a lot, will show the world when I beat him what I'm really capable of."