South African authorities announced that former titlist Zolani Tete, 38, was fatally shot outside of his home in Mdantsane today.
Per the country’s Ministry of Sport, Arts, and Culture, “[t]wo armed men in balaclavas” shot Tete and a female companion as Tete waited at his gate. The companion remains hospitalized, while Tete himself passed away.
Tete lost his first title bid to countryman Moruti Mthalane in 2010, kicking off a 3-3 skid, but came out the other side on an absolute tear. He felled Teiru
Kinoshita in hostile territory to claim the IBF super flyweight title four years later, then knocked out Paul Butler in his first and only defense before moving up to 118. There, he won the later-upgraded interim WBO belt against Arthur Villanueva and made three successful defense, one of which earned him the fastest knockout in championship history when he sparked Siboniso Gonya with his very first punch. An upset loss to John Riel Casimero lost him the belt, but after two years on the sidelines and a 55-second get-well knockout in South Africa, he put himself right into super bantamweight contention by blowing the doors off of Jason Cunningham.
That would unfortunately mark his final time in the ring. A failed drug test for stanozolol wiped that win off his record and resulted in a four-year suspension, which only expired last month.
Tete will be remembered as a terrific, hugely accomplished fighter, highly entertaining and a true standout in the lower weight classes. Our thoughts are with his friends and family after this horrific tragedy.
