Former champ Tete gets medical clearance after injury scare

Former two-time world boxing champion Zolani Tete has allayed fears that his boxing career could be cut short by a spate of injuries.

Tete recently underwent surgery to treat a cracked bone in his arm just weeks after returning to the ring after a twoyear absence.

The Mdantsane boxer had not fought since surrendering his WBO bantamweight crown with an upset knockout loss to Filipino Johnriel Casimero in 2019.

The fight followed an injury blow when Tete was forced to withdraw from the clash against current WBC champion Nonito Donaire in the lucrative World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) in April 2019.

After his loss to Casimero, the 33-year-old finally returned to the ring when he took just 55 seconds to knock out overmatched Tanzanian Iddi Mustafa Said (also known as Iddi Kayumba) in December in Johannesburg. Tete revealed that he went into the fight carrying an injury which he sustained from his car crash in August last year.

The injury was never detected until it flared up during his preparations for Said’s bout.

“It [injury] become so serious that Zolani had to change his stance when working on the pads,” his manager, Mla Tengimfene, said.

“But we decided to go ahead with the fight because Zolani had not fought for over a year.”

Not only Tete was cautious in his preparations, he even roped in renowned Johannesburg manager Colin Nathan to help with binding his hands before the fight.

“Colin helped us a lot with binding Zolani’s hands to minimise the impact of the injury.”

Tete has always battled with injuries throughout his career, sparking concerns that as he winds it down he could be more prone.

Besides his withdrawal from the Donaire bout, Tete pulled out of the clash against Duncan Village boxer Unathi Gqokoma when they were scheduled to battle for the vacant SA junior bantamweight title.

This was when he suffered what seemed like a minor stroke consigning him to a hospital bed.

His management then started to use the services of Dr Amitabh Mitra whom Tengimfene credits for treating a series of injuries suffered by the boxer.

“This surgery was also conducted by Dr Mitra and he has given Zolani a clean bill of health.”

Tete is scheduled to return to the ring to face IBF Intercontinental and Commonwealth junior featherweight champion Jason Cunningham in the UK in March.

Tete has lost just four times in 33 bouts, winning 22 of his 29 victories by knockouts, underlining his reputation as one the knockout specialists in the lighter weight divisions.