Tete to go ahead with UK fight
Mother’s illness a driving force
ZOLANI Tete is going ahead with his fight in the UK next week despite the sudden illness of his mother. Tete will face Filipino Arthur Villanueva for the rights to challenge WBO world bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales at Leicester Arena, in Leicester next Saturday.
The Mdantsane boxer has been in camp in Johannesburg to prepare for the fight but received the sad news of the sudden illness of his adoring mother Nomonde casting doubts on whether he would go ahead with the fight.
However, the boxer whose fights tend to have emotional attachments dating back to the time he won his first world title which coincided with the birthday celebrations of the late struggle icon Nelson Mandela, sees the latest developments as another sign to win the fight.
Tete even broke his camp to come down to Mdantsane to visit his mother in hospital.
“Zolani is very close to his mother and for her to fall ill is disturbing for him,” Tete’s manager Mla Tengimfene said.
While Nomonde has since shown signs of recuperation, her condition is still serious – so much so that her husband, Zolile, who is always part of his son’s technical team, has decided to stay behind.
Needing family connection, Zolani has included his brother Makazole as part of the team which departs for the UK tomorrow.
Tete said he will draw some strength from the whole episode which ironically started when he was fighting in the UK to raise money for his diabetic mother’s prosthetic leg two years ago.
At the time, he sensationally knocked out hot favourite Paul Butler to retain his then title and subsequently dedicated the win to Nomonde.
The publicity sparked the Motsepe Foundation to donate funding to add to promoter Ayanda Matiti’s contribution towards the purchase of the leg.
Now the scenario will play out again as Tete is dedicating the fight to his mother.
“I guess there is a reason for my fights always having an emotional attachment,” Tete said.
“But this time I guess it is the most disturbing one, but I will have to turn this whole worrying scenario into a positive one by winning this fight for my mother.”
On Wednesday, Tete participated in a media workout to show his readiness for the biggest fight of his life.
Having wrapped up preparations which he described as his best ever, Tete said the presence of his brother at the fight would spur him on to win at all costs.
“Remember Mayzo [Makazole] was with me when I won the world title in Japan. But due to his own busy schedule the dates of our fights tend to clash and he has not been able to travel with me to the UK lately. But having fought last weekend, he is free now and that will help me psychologically.”
The Tete brothers enjoy a tight bond with Zolani always present at his sibling’s fights when he is not preparing for his own.
With just three losses, two of which were controversial, Zolani is the favourite to beat Villanueva, although the Filipino will present the toughest challenge compared to his previous compatriots who lost to the Mdantsane boxer.
The fight will coincide with Tapales’s defence of the title to Japanese Shohei Omori on the same weekend in what could turn out to be his dethronement given the latest good run of Japanese fighters in world title bouts.
This even though Tapales beat Omori in their previous meeting, a loss which remains the only blemish on the Japanese’s fighting record.