Four-time world champion Zolani Tete shot dead before comeback

Former four-time world boxing champion Zolani Tete was shot and killed outside his home in South Africa’s Eastern Cape on Friday evening, August 21. His death came after he had resumed training for a comeback fight scheduled for late November.

Tete had recently completed a four-year doping ban, which ended last month. He had since returned to the gym and was preparing to compete again after a career that made him one of South Africa’s most decorated boxers.

He won the IBF junior-bantamweight title in 2014 before adding the WBO bantamweight crown in 2017. Those victories made him a world champion in two divisions. Tete also holds the Guinness World Record for the quickest knockout in a world title contest.

Reports of the attack said Tete had just come back from training and was in his car outside his property, waiting for the gate to open. Two masked men allegedly left a nearby vehicle and fired at him. Tete reportedly accelerated towards the yard but died from his injuries at the scene.

A 27-year-old woman who was travelling with Tete was also hit several times. She was taken to hospital in critical condition. The attackers escaped, and no arrests had been made when the case was reported.

Police opened investigations into murder and attempted murder. No motive had been established. Tete’s manager, Mlandeli Tengimfene, joined members of the boxing community in mourning a fighter remembered for his world titles, record-setting knockout and repeated attempts to overcome setbacks.