But that's more than fine for the former WBA junior middleweight titleholder and The Ring's No. 9-ranked contender in the division.

Baraou got back into the win column Friday by beating Giovani Santillan via majority decision.

The scorecards made their fight look closer on paper than it appeared in the ring, as Baraou (18-2, 9 KOs) outmuscled and outboxed the game Santillan (35-2, 18 KOs) to be declared the rightful winner.

Baraou, a 31-year-old German, has been navigating around the world over his eight-year career, making a name for himself, and he further padded his resume by beating Santillan during his San Diego homecoming.

The win was Baraou's first since dropping his belt against Xander Zayas in a title unification fight on the road in Puerto Rico in January. The Zayas fight followed Baraou's win on enemy territory against Yoenis Tellez in Florida.

Baraou scooped the interim WBA title with his Tellez upset and was later elevated to full champion once Terence Crawford left the division.

"Man, I'm confident everywhere I go," Baraou said after the fight. "You know, if there's a ring, I'm gonna make it work, and gonna get the win. That's my mission always.

"It feels amazing because I fought really hard. I had to work differently. I always work hard, but this time I had to use more tactics, stick to the plan and do things that were a little bit boring for me. That can be hard, but we made it work. It means a lot to have this huge win to get back to the top again.

"You're gonna call me a multiple-time world champion of this division, and that's what I'm aiming to be."

Baraou signed a promotional pact with Top Rank last month and should have the backing to get another meaningful fight in one of boxing's deepest divisions, which features champions like Jaron Ennis (WBA, WBO), Sebastian Fundora (WBC) and Josh Kelly (IBF). The Ring title is vacant.

Baraou would be best fit for fights against the likes of other top-10, Ring-ranked contenders like Israil Madrimov, Bakhram Murtazaliev, and Brandon Adams next time out to further stamp his status as a bona fide title challenger once again.

"I see all of the opportunities at 154 pounds, and I am ready for all of the big fights and the world champions," Baraou said. "Beating Santillan was the right first step on the way back to becoming a world champion again."