Xander Zayas and Abass Baraou haven’t had to go far to find each other throughout their careers.

The 154-pound champions have sparred numerous rounds together in South Florida. Now, Zayas and Baraou will drop the headgear and sparring gloves for the biggest fight of their respective careers when they meet in a title unification bout on Jan. 31 at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Zayas enters the fight holding the WBO title, while Baraou has the WBA belt.

“It's a very exciting fight for both of us,” Zayas said at a press conference in Puerto Rico on Wednesday. “A lot on the line for both of us. Our first title defense, to be for a unified championship, I feel like it's very special. Like he said, we're writing history."

"I'm the man for the job,” Baraou said. “It's not the first time I'm doing this. I'm on a mission, and I'm willing to go anywhere to accomplish my dream and my goals. Coming to Puerto Rico to face Xander was an easy decision for me to make. It's a hard fight, a great challenge as well, and that's what I'm looking for. We're sitting here, both of us, writing history. How can you say no to that?"

The fight represents a homecoming for Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs), who was born in San Juan and has only fought on his home island once, in 2020. Zayas won the vacant WBO title with a one-sided unanimous decision victory over Jorge Garcia on July 26 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The win made Zayas, 23, the youngest reigning champion in boxing at the time.

After winning the title, Zayas was hopeful that his first title defense would be in Puerto Rico. Instead, he’ll get even more than what he hoped for in facing Baraou.

"It's an honor to represent where I'm from, to represent my people, to represent Puerto Rico, and to put the pride of the island where it belongs, at the top," he said. "If you can dream it, you can do it. That's my message to them. We come from the same place, and there's nothing we can't do if we put in the work, and we put the dedication in."

Baraou (17-1, 9 KOs) was more than willing to oblige with Zayas’ hopes of making his first title defense on his home island. The German champion nabbed the interim WBA belt with a unanimous decision in a back-and-forth bout against Yoenis Tellez on Aug. 23 at Caribe Royale in Orlando. Baraou, of Aalen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, was elevated to full champion after Terence Crawford vacated the belt.

Baraou, 31, is no stranger to going into enemy territory, including his win over Tellez. And he's more than ready to do it again when he faces Zayas.

“Everywhere I look, I get motivated,” Baraou said. “I come here, I see the arena, and it's going to be full of Puerto Ricans. I'm fully prepared for that. I can't wait for fight night. It's like music to my ears."