The last time we saw Zolani Tete inside a boxing ring, he impressed with a four-round destruction of Jason Cunningham.

However, things quickly soured when the South African tested positive for banned substance stanazolol and received a four-year ban from boxing. The fight result was amended to a no-contest.

Two years into that ban. and the two-division world champion still maintains his innocence.

“I never imagined myself going through a four-year ban, as the responsible boxer that I am, but nonetheless it’s water under the bridge now,” Tete told The Ring. “I’m halfway through and by God’s grace I’m still looking good and looking forward to the end of it.

“In all the investigations my team and I were going through we still can’t really tell what exactly happened from our side. We went to the fight well prepared in all aspects, the closest answer we could get from Prof. Kintz was that it can only be a contamination, gathering the percentage of substance found and the substance not being found on my toe nails as they were tested. Personally, I don’t accept the ban because I’m a clean and fair athlete.”

Since receiving the ban in August 2022, Tete, now 36, has found himself ticking over at the gym, helping others.

“Since the first day of the suspension I have been in training. As frustrated as I was, I had to stay focused in training so that I didn’t lose myself in that process,” he said.

“Fortunately, I have club mates that are still looking up to me regardless of the outcome, and I made a choice of working with them and help them grow their careers as well. I’m more motivated now by their improvements since we started working together.”
When his ban ends, Tete will be 38 years-old, but he still intends to return to boxing as an active participant.

“Oh yes, definitely my plan is still unfinished,” he said defiantly. “I told myself that I will not let this setback retire me from the sport I so desire, but I will retire on my own and in my own terms as soon as I accomplish my mission of becoming a three-division world champion. So, come the day I step inside the squared ring I will continue where I left.”

In the meantime, his manager, Mlandeli Tengimfene, has stood by his fighters side and helped him diversify.

“Zolani has always been a workaholic in all aspects of the fistic sport,” said Tengimfene. “When the dark cloud of the PED fell on him, I had to think deeper on how best I can utilize him differently. A four-year ban is not a child’s play, anything could happen and maybe lose Zolani for good.

“God just made things easy sometimes, Azinga Fuzile and Siya Kuse joined the gym right at the time when Zolani was beginning his sentence. I immediately tasked him to look after these two boys and indeed the results are there for everyone to see. With these two boys under the tutelage of Zolani, I am guaranteed two world champions,. Just wait and see. When he returns back to the ring in 2026, he would have brought me world champions.”

Tete turned professional at 18 in 2006. The tall southpaw won his first 13 bouts before coming up short against more experienced countryman Moruti Mthalane (TKO 5) in an IBF flyweight title shot. He lost a pair of world title eliminators against Juan Alberto Rosas (MD 12) in Mexico and then in Argentina against Roberto Sosa (SD 12).

Unperturbed, he returned to Mexico and beat Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. (KO 10) in an IBF eliminator and then headed to Japan where he bested Teiru Kinoshita (UD 12) for the vacant IBF junior bantamweight title. The road warrior defended against Paul Buter (KO 8)in England and then vacated his belt after issues with his former promoter.

After a couple of fights, he moved up in weight and later claimed the WBO bantamweight title and made three defenses, including a shut out over former two-division titlist Omar Narvaez (UD 12). Tete lost the title on the scales and was subsequently stopped by John Riel Casimiero (TKO 3). He won one more fight before the Cunningham no-contest.

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected].

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