Yoenis Tellez vs Abass Baraou added to August 23 MVP show in Orlando

Most Valuable Promotions’ August 23rd Fight Night in Orlando, headlined by Yankiel Rivera vs Angelino Cordova, will also see undefeated super welterweight Yoenis Tellez take on European champion Abass Baraou.

Tellez’s (10-0, 7 KO) interim WBA belt will be on the line; it’s unclear why the sanctioning body hasn’t stripped Terence Crawford of the full title considering “Bud” very clearly isn’t coming back to 154 at any point.

Regardless of hardware, Tellez has proven himself a genuine player at 154, most recently outclassing Julian “J-Rock” Williams in March. Baraou (16-1, 9 KO) ostensibly represents a step up in class, having made his name with a string of decent wins on the Euro circuit. His lone pro defeat came by split decision to Jack Culcay in 2020.

It should also make for a fun fight stylistically. Baraou’s throwdown with Sam Eggington last year was loads of fun and we know Tellez can sling heat when he wants to.

Other new additions include WBA lightweight champ Stephanie Han’s (10-0, 3 KO) MVP debut against Colombia’s Paulina Angel (7-1-2, 3 KO) and Jasmine Artiga’s (13-0-1, 6 KO) inaugural WBA super flyweight title defense against Linn Sandstrom (10-3-3, 2 KO). Also confirmed was Jamaine Ortiz (19-2-1, 9 KO) vs Steve Claggett (39-8-2, 27 KO) at 140.