Two-time world champion Tete shot dead outside home
Two-time world champion Zolani Tete has been shot dead outside his home in South Africa.
Zolani Tete, a two-time world champion boxer, was murdered in an ambush outside his home in South Africa. The 38-year-old fighter was killed on Friday while waiting for his gate to open. Two armed suspects in balaclavas opened fire at him and his 27-year-old female passenger, who is currently hospitalized. Tete, who held the WBO bantamweight title from 2017 to 2019 and the IBF super-flyweight title in 2014, also holds a Guinness World Record for the fastest knockout in a title fight.
The South African minister of sport, arts and culture, Gayton McKenzie, described Tete as one of the finest fighters the country has ever produced. The suspects fled the scene and a major investigation is underway. Tete's manager, Mlandeli Tengimfene, confirmed that he had been training for a comeback fight after his ban from the sport ended in July 2026.
Tete had 29 wins in 34 fights, with four losses and one no-contest. Tributes from the boxing community poured in, with Japanese fighter Naoya Inoue calling Tete a "wonderful boxer" and fellow fighter John Riel Casimero expressing shock and heartbreak over the loss.
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