Two-time boxing champion Tete shot dead outside his home in South Africa

Two-time world champion Zolani Tete, the 38-year-old South African boxing sensation, was tragically shot dead outside his home in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape on Friday. Witnesses described the incident as an ambush, in which two armed suspects in balaclavas emerged from a vehicle and unleashed "multiple shots" at Tete and a 27-year-old female passenger. The female remains hospitalized.

Tete, who held the WBO bantamweight title from 2017 to 2019 and the IBF super-flyweight title in 2014, was preparing for a potential comeback fight. The two suspects fled the scene, prompting a major investigation led by South Africa's Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie. McKenzie expressed deep sorrow, stating that South Africa had lost one of its finest fighters.

Tete's impressive career included victories such as a knockout over Paul Butler in 2015, and a world record for the fastest knockout in a title fight against Siboniso Gonya in 2017, which lasted just 11 seconds. He also held a Guinness World Record for the fastest knockout in a title fight. Tete's last fight was in July 2022, but it was later ruled a no-contest due to a failed drugs test for anabolic steroid stanozolol. He was subsequently banned for four years, ending on July 29, 2026.

The boxing community mourns the loss of Tete, with tributes pouring in from professionals like Japanese fighter Naoya Inoue, who called Tete a "wonderful boxer," and John Riel Casimero, Tete's former rival, who expressed shock and heartbreak over the incident. Tete's manager, Mlandeli Tengimfene, confirmed that the fighter had been training for a return to the ring, a plan now sadly put on hold. The WBO also extended its condolences to Tete's family, friends, and the entire South African boxing community.