Zolani Tete’s camp is confident its charge won’t grow old as he waits for a world title shot.
The 34-year-old former two-time world champion, who lifted the Commonwealth junior-featherweight belt in London at the beginning of the month by knocking out Jason Cunningham in the fourth round, is on the brink of history.
A week or so before, Hekkie Budler, also 34, won his eliminator to line up a crack at the WBC junior-flyweight crown.
It seems there’s a resurgence of fighting veterans in SA; Moruti Mthalane is preparing for a final farewell bout that will be staged in Durban in September, a month before his 40th birthday.
The details of Budler’s world title crack against Kenshiro Teraji of Japan have yet to be worked out, but trainer-manager Colin Nathan said it would happen before the end of the year.
“In the next week or so I’ll contact Kenshiro’s people, see what their appetite is for when, where and how. I’ll ask Hekkie to get back into the gym next week, just to get back into shape.
“I think he’s got a good fight against Kenshiro and I think he can win.”
Victory for Budler could make him the first SA boxer to win three of the four mainstream belts, unless Tete gets there first.
But Tete’s future is less certain, even though his English promoter, Frank Warren, promised before his last fight that the winner would challenge directly for a world title before the end of the year, his manager Mlandeli Tengimfene said.
There are three options. Straight to the world title, a final eliminator or give us a big name. At this point in time, as per the promoter, we are going for the first one
— Mlandeli Tengimfene
Another world title for Tete would also make him the first South African to win mainstream belts at three different weights, having held the IBF junior-bantamweight and WBO bantamweight straps. As it is, only a handful have done it in two classes — Dingaan Thobela, Baby Jake Matlala, Mbulelo Botile, Budler and Tete.
The four recognised world junior-featherweight belts are split between two men, American Stephen Fulton, holder of the WBC and WBO straps, and Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan, owner of the WBA and IBF mantles.
Akhmadaliev is promoted by Matchroom, whose boss Eddie Hearn doesn’t do business with Warren.
That leaves Fulton as the only realistic option, especially because Warren has a good relationship with the WBO, which has Tete sixth in its rankings. The WBC have him at seventh.
And here’s where things could get messy — Tete is a dangerous opponent to pick for a voluntary defence. He boasts a knockout ratio of almost 80% and proved against Cunningham that he has carried his power up a division since losing his bantamweight belt. Fulton might need an incentive to take that risk and Warren might have to dip into his pockets to make it happen.
“There are three options,” said Tengimfene. “Straight to the world title, a final eliminator or give us a big name. At this point in time, as per the promoter, we are going for the first one.”
He added that Tete didn’t have more than two or three years left in boxing. “Zolani is at that stage where he must fight whoever is in front of him as long as there’s money and a title.”
Mthalane, the former IBF flyweight champion, was still capable of taking on the best in the world, said Nathan.
“I don’t think he’s done,” he said. “In fact, I think he’s still a world-class flyweight who can mix it up against world-class opposition.
“But at the age of 40 we’ve got to be realistic that unless he’s going to get a direct title shot, a farewell fight would be ideal for him to sail into the sunset after a great career.
“He’s arguably, next to Jake Tuli, the best flyweight SA’s ever produced.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.