Former Two-Weight World Champion Zolani Tete Shot Dead in South Africa

Former two-weight world champion Zolani Tete has been shot dead outside his home in South Africa at the age of 38. BBC Sport reported that the former WBO bantamweight and IBF super-flyweight champion was killed in Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape on Friday.

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According to the BBC report, officials said Tete was sitting in his car and waiting for the gate at his home to open when two armed suspects wearing balaclavas emerged from another vehicle and fired. The suspects then fled, and authorities launched what was described as a major investigation. No arrests or possible motive were reported.

Tete was one of South Africa's most accomplished boxers of his generation. He held the IBF super-flyweight championship in 2014 and later reigned as WBO bantamweight champion from 2017 until 2019. His professional record stood at 29 victories, four defeats and one no-contest across 34 bouts.

His career included eight appearances in the United Kingdom. Among them was a 2015 victory over Liverpool boxer Paul Butler. Tete also set a Guinness World Record in 2017 by stopping Siboniso Gonya in 11 seconds, the fastest knockout recorded in a world title fight.

Tete's final contest came in London in July 2022 against British boxer Jason Cunningham. Although Tete initially won by knockout, the outcome was later changed to a no-contest after he failed a drugs test. UK Anti-Doping said he tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol and imposed a four-year ban.

That suspension ended on July 29, 2026. Following Tete's death, his manager Mla Tengimfene confirmed that the boxer had been training for a comeback fight. The BBC attributed details of the killing and investigation to officials and South Africa's minister of sport, arts and culture, Gayton McKenzie, while reporting that the two suspects remained at large.