South African boxer Zolani Tete, 38, who held world titles in multiple weight divisions, has been killed in a shooting at his residence in the Eastern Cape province. A woman accompanying him was also injured in the attack.
Former world champion boxer Zolani Tete has been fatally shot at his home in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, according to South Africa's sports, arts and culture minister Gayton McKenzie. The 38-year-old was killed in his vehicle while waiting for his residence gate to open on Friday evening. A 27-year-old woman who was in the car with him sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was transported to hospital for treatment.
Police investigating the incident reported that two armed assailants wearing balaclavas ambushed Tete as he arrived at his property. The motive for the shooting remains unclear. The attack marks a tragic end for a boxer who had been attempting to revive his professional career following a period away from the ring.
Tete's boxing career saw him capture world titles across multiple weight classes. He first gained international recognition in 2014 when he defeated Teiru Kinoshita in Japan to claim the IBF junior-bantamweight title. Subsequently, he held the WBF flyweight championship from 2007-2008 and won the WBO bantamweight title in 2017 and 2019. He achieved particular notoriety for recording an 11-second knockout in a 2017 world title bout against Siboniso Gonya—a record for the fastest knockout in a world-title fight.
Tete's professional record included 29 victories with 22 knockouts, alongside four losses and one no contest. His last recorded bout occurred in July 2022 at London's Wembley Arena against British opponent Jason Cunningham, though a subsequent positive doping test led to the result being overturned and a four-year suspension. That suspension had recently expired, and Tete had been preparing for a comeback.
