Tete proven fit, ready to rumble
Champ takes aim at unification bouts and legend legacy
Zolani Tete will finally get back into the ring after more than a year’s absence when he defends his WBO bantamweight title against John Riel Casimero on November 30.
The fight at Arena Birmingham in England will present the Mdantsane boxer with an opportunity to make a fourth title defence as he chases at least five in order to qualify for the WBO ring presented to champions who have made five defences.
“Yes I want that ring because it will be a symbol that I was indeed a WBO world champion,” Tete said.
He was last seen in the ring in October 2018 when he beat Russian Mikhail Aloyan in the preliminary stage of the Word Boxing Super Series.
More importantly though, is the goal to chase unification bouts with an eye on the winner of the IBF and WBA unification encounter between Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire scheduled for Japan on November 7.
Tete has been engaging in a rigorous training regiment that included a visit to the High Performance Centre in Port Elizabeth where his fitness level was given a thumbs up.
By the time Tete faces Casimero, he will know which boxer to chase with also an eye on the WBC crown which will also be on the same card of the Inoue-Donaire bout.
At the same time, Inoue’s younger brother Takuma challenges Nordine Ouabaali.
“Three of the bantamweight titles will be at stake in Japan and by the time Zolani fights Casimero we would have at least started negotiations of a unification clash,” said the boxer’s manager Mla Tengimfene in a radio interview.
With more champions now willing to risk their titles to chase unification clashes in pursuit of legacy solidification, Tete is hoping other champions in the division will come to the party.
“If you look in almost all the divisions, champions are more willing to prove their supremacy by engaging in unification bouts,” he said. “There is no difference with me. I want to be considered as an undisputed world champion.”
Tete and Casimero share a common opponent in IBF flyweight champion Moruti Mthalane who stopped them in five rounds apiece when they were still in their development stage.
Since then both have improved and surpassed Mthalane in ring achievements with Tete going on to become a two division world champion after first winning the IBF junior bantamweight crown.
Casimero also went on to win the IBF flyweight title originally owned by Mthalane before moving up to the bantamweight to win the WBO interim crown.
While Tete should enter the fight as a slight favourite,
Yes I want that ring because it will be a symbol that I was indeed a WBO world champion
Casimero will come with a winning momentum and activity having just retained his interim belt with a 10th round stoppage of Mexican Cesar Ramirez two months ago.
The Filipino had won the interim belt with a 12th round stoppage of Ricardo Espinoza Franco.
Casimero who has lost four times in 32 bouts has fought four times in the period Tete has been inactive. But Tete, whose loss to Mthalane is one of his three defeats in 31 bouts, has allayed fears that the Filipino might have an edge in sharpness because of his activity. Boxing Mecca