Former two-division world champion Zolani Tete has been shot dead outside his home in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, bringing a tragic end to the career of the celebrated boxer who held WBF and WBO world titles.
Zolani Tete celebrates after beating Jason Cunningham after their super-bantamweight fight in 2022 [Andrew Couldridge/Reuters]
Former world champion boxer Zolani Tete has been shot and killed at his home in South Africa, government officials have said.
Gayton McKenzie, South Africa’s sports, arts and culture minister, said late on Friday that the 38-year-old Tete was killed in his car and that a 27-year-old woman who was in the vehicle with him was shot multiple times and is in hospital.
Tete held world title belts in the WBF flyweight category from 2007-2008 and the WBO bantamweight title in 2017 and 2019.
Police said the shooting took place in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape and that Tete was arriving at his residence and waiting for the gate to open when he was ambushed by two armed suspects wearing balaclavas.
The southpaw’s breakthrough was in 2014 when he defeated Teiru Kinoshita on points in Japan to win the IBF junior-bantamweight world title. The WBO interim title was then captured before becoming a recognised world champion.
Tete also recorded an 11-second knockout with the first punch of the 2017 world title fight against Siboniso Gonya – the fastest knockout in a world-title fight.
His professional career ended with 29 victories, including 22 knockouts, four defeats and one no contest.
His last appearance came in July 2022, when he beat Britain’s Jason Cunningham at London’s Wembley Arena, United Kingdom.
A subsequent positive test for stanozolol saw the result overturned, and Tete was handed a four-year suspension.
The suspension expired in July, and Tete, who consistently denied knowingly taking the banned substance, had been working towards a comeback.
