Former South African two-time world champion Zolani Tete killed

Former two-time world boxing champion Zolani Tete was killed outside his home in Mdantsane, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, on Friday. He was 38 years old.

Police said two armed suspects approached the residence and fired at Tete in what was described as an ambush. No further details about the suspects or the investigation were provided.

Tete won his first world title in 2014, defeating Japan’s Teiru Kinoshita in Hyogo, Kobe, to become IBF super-flyweight champion. Three years later, he claimed the WBO bantamweight crown after beating Filipino boxer Arthur Villanueva at the Leicester Arena in England.

He also set a Guinness World Record in 2017 for the fastest knockout in a world bantamweight title fight. Tete stopped fellow South African Siboniso Gonya after 11 seconds at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Tete’s professional career ran from 2006 to 2022. He finished with 29 victories, including 22 by knockout, and four defeats. His opponents included Moruti Mthalane, Juan Alberto Rosas, Roberto Domingo Sosa, Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr, Paul Butler, Jether Oliva, Omar Andres Narvaez, John Riel Casimero and Jason Cunningham.

The killing has prompted mourning across South Africa’s boxing community. Tributes from fans and local media have remembered Tete as one of the country’s outstanding boxers, with his two world championships and record-setting knockout forming the central achievements of his career.