Former world champion boxer Zolani Tete shot dead outside his home in South Africa
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Former world champion boxer Zolani Tete shot dead outside his home in South Africa")
Tete was shot outside his home in Mdantsane Photograph: (Reuters)
Former WBF flyweight and WBO bantamweight world champion Zolani Tete was killed outside his home in South Africa’s Eastern Cape.
Former world champion boxer Zolani Tete was shot dead outside his home in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, South Africa, on Friday (Aug 21). According to South African police, the 38-year-old was sitting in his car and waiting for the gate to open when two armed men wearing balaclavas approached and opened fire.
A 27-year-old woman who was also in the vehicle was shot multiple times and taken to hospital, where she is receiving treatment, according to AP.
South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, confirmed Tete’s death and described it as a huge loss for the country’s sporting community. “South Africa has lost one of the finest fighters it has ever produced.”
Police said the attackers fled the scene after the shooting and an investigation into the incident is underway.
Tete won the WBF flyweight world title in 2007 and held the belt until 2008. He later became the IBF super-flyweight world champion in 2014 before winning the WBO bantamweight title, which he held from 2017 to 2019.
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One of the most memorable moments of Tete’s career came in 2017, when he knocked out Siboniso Gonya in just 11 seconds. The victory set a Guinness World Record for the fastest knockout in a world title fight.
Tete’s final professional bout took place in Jul 2022, when he stopped Britain’s Jason Cunningham in London, however, the result was later changed to a no-contest after Tete failed a drugs test.
He ended his career with 29 wins, four defeats and one no-contest from 34 professional fights.
