Former boxing world champion shot dead
Former world boxing champion Zolani “Last Born” Tete was shot dead outside his home in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province this week, police and the country’s sports minister said.
The 38-year-old was arriving at his residence when two armed men wearing balaclavas got out of a vehicle and opened fire.
Former boxing world champion Zolani Tete. James Chance/Getty Images
“I will not speculate about who did this or why,” sports minister Gayton McKenzie said in a statement.
Tete’s killing will renew attention on violent crime in South Africa, which continues to have one of the world’s highest murder rates despite recent declines in homicides.
A 27-year-old woman travelling with Tete was shot multiple times and taken to hospital.
Police have started investigations and the motive remains unclear.
Tete won the IBF junior-bantamweight world title in 2014 after defeating Japan’s Teiru Kinoshita in Kobe. He later won the WBO bantamweight crown.
He is best remembered internationally for his 11-second knockout of fellow South African Siboniso Gonya in Belfast in November 2017, the fastest stoppage in a world title fight.
“The boxing world is mourning the loss of a true champion,” DAZN Boxing posted on X.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and everyone who loved him during this incredibly difficult time.”
