Milan Prat training for Abass Baraou despite uncertainty of bout

Junior middleweight Milan Prat is hoping to return against WBA No.1-ranked contender Abass Baraou.

The bout is tentatively scheduled for March 22 in France and no venue or date confirmed at the time of this writing – with some concern in Europe that it may not happen at all after Baraou’s promoter, Wasserman, failed to confirm the bout.

Prat, 25, remains hopeful the fight will come off. Born in France, Prat moved to Houston to train with Bobby Benton and Aaron Navarro. For his most recent training camp, he returned to France, where Prat stopped Evander Castillo in the fourth round last December. 

“Milan came down about a year and a half ago and trained with us for one fight, left and went back,” Benton said. “He just came back for his last fight. So we trained him for his last fight.”

Prat holds a record of 25-1 (19 KOs) and is riding a five-fight win streak after suffering his lone career defeat to Slawa Spomer in 2023.

“He is a hard-working kid with a great attitude,” Navarro said. “He has heavy hands. He is a good prospect that should move on to contender after this next fight.”

“I think his dedication is probably the biggest part of it,” Benton said when asked what makes Prat an elite fighter. “He’s definitely focused and locked in. He’s got skill, too.”

Baraou, 30, has won seven on the bounce, holding a record of 16-1 (9 KOs). His only loss was a split decision to Jack Culcay in 2020. Baraou, who hails from Berlin, will be fighting in France for the first time in his professional career – if the fight with Prat goes forward.

“He wants to be a fighter,” Navarro said. “Whatever we tell him, whatever we give him, he’s ready.”

Lucas Ketelle took an unconventional path to boxing, eventually finding his stride in gyms and media. For the past decade, he has hosted the “Lukie Boxing” podcast, filmed training camps for fighters like Arnold Barboza Jnr, Mikey Garcia and Caleb Plant, and worked with top professionals such as Mike Bazzel. Ketelle is also an author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for ProBox TV, BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @LukieBoxing.