Rohan Polanco Eyes Welterweight Breakthrough on Zayas-Baraou Undercard
Top Rank kicks off 2026 in Puerto Rico as Xander Zayas faces Abass Baraou in a high-stakes super welterweight unification bout. The card also features rising welterweight star Rohan Polanco against Christian Gomez, plus Giovani Santillan’s divisional debut and middleweight prospect Euri Cedeño.
In 2025, much of the welterweight division revolved around Top Rank's Brian Norman Jr. as he scored knockout wins against Derrieck Cuevas and Jin Sasaki before losing his title to Devin Haney in November. In 2026, another welterweight from the Top Rank stable by the name of Rohan Polanco is looking to cement his name atop the welterweight rankings. After picking up wins against Jean Carlos Torres, Fabian Andres
Maidana, and Quinton Randall in 2025, Polanco will continue his campaign for the welterweight crown with a 10-round battle against Christian Gomez (23-6-1, 21 KOs) at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“I’m not coming to play on January 31. I'm coming to send a strong message to the division. Fighting as the co-main event at Coliseo de Puerto Rico is a great opportunity that I intend to take advantage of," Polanco said. "I represent Dominican boxing. I'm hungry, fearless, and determined to get closer to a world title opportunity.”
As the Dominican welterweight fights for a world title opportunity, Puerto Rican super welterweight phenom Xander Zayas will have an opportunity to become a unified champion. In the main event, Zayas will put the WBO Super Welterweight Championship on the line against WBA Super Welterweight Champion Abass Baraou.
“On January 31, we'll fulfill another dream. This time, I'll be fighting on my island,” Zayas said. “I'm going to unify two world titles in front of my people at Coliseo de Puerto Rico. We're going to make history together. See you there!”
Top Rank's first show of the new year will also feature the super welterweight debut of Giovani Santillan (34-1, 18 KOs) against Courtney Pennington (17-11-3, 7 KOs). Middleweight contender Euri Cedeño (13-0-1, 12 KOs) will also meet Etoundi Michel William (16-2, 12 KOs) in a 10-round bout.
