Revenge is in the air as Tete aims to get that Filipino scalp
Zolani vows to overpower Villanueva and Tapales
WHEN it was announced the national boxing awards were making a return, the interest centred around the Boxer of the Year award.
And when the list of nominees was released with Zolani Tete, Xolisani Ndongeni and Simpiwe Konkco competing for the award, Tete was the obvious favourite to win it.
Tete has blazed the trail for SA boxing by ensuring that the country’s boxers remain on the world map. He has been a good ambassador for the country, especially in England, where he signed with that country’s promoter Frank Warren.
Of particularly interest was Tete’s knockout of English star Paul Butler when he retained his IBF world junior-bantamweight title, which he has since vacated.
The win was widely voted as the best knockout of the year by several international boxing publications and enhanced Tete’ s status worldwide. While Tete was an overwhelming favourite due to his body of work in the period under review, no one could argue if his two fellow nominees were to win it.
But, ultimately, the boxer of the year award went to Ndongeni with Tete settling for the knockout of the year honours.
Boxing Mecca sat down with him to reflect on the awards.
BOXING MECCA: I guess now that the excitement of the awards is gone you can now give us your take on what happened there. ZOLANI TETE: Yes my bra, the awards have come and gone. Now we are back to doing what we are required to do as boxers, so that we can again be nominated for the next awards. I cannot thank Boxing SA enough for bringing back these awards and kudos to the CEO for spearheading this return.
BM: Tell us how you feel not having won the Boxer of the Year award. ZT: (laughing). I think it is important to give those who deserve these awards, their due. As for me not winning the award, I would be lying if I said I was not disappointed. I honestly thought I was going to win it, but then it must be noted that I was up against tough competition from those two other guys. But I want to emphasise, that my disappointment was based on purely the competitive nature of the sport and nothing else.
At the end of the day, Nomeva won it and congratulations to him. This can only mean one thing, that our boxing is back to its best and we must all work hard to ensure that it is a success. BM: As humble and classy as ever. Sometimes I struggle to understand how you became a boxer whose main job entails inflicting pain on another human being . . . ZT: (laughing). My bra, boxing is a sport and as such it involves competition. In other sporting codes, athletes compete with their legs such as in soccer, karate and running, others compete with their strength such as in wrestling, weightlifting and others compete with their hands such as cricket, boxing, tennis, you name it. Yes boxing involves two people hitting each other but that does not take away its sporting nature. So I do not need to be vulgar and talk tough in order to prove that I am boxer.
BM: OK OK Zolani point taken and enough with the lecture. While you missed out on the Boxer of the Year, you did not come back empty-handed. care of everything, so much that yes, I sometimes call him at 2am and he would be there in a second. But not to sort out my love issues (again laughing).
BM: I guess the minor revolt of some boxers at All Winners about the preferential treatment you were given is something of the past now. ZT: Thankfully, there is no such thing anymore. Now we are one big happy family. It was unfortunate when my name had to be dragged into that because I never did anything wrong besides helping the guys. But like I said it is over now.
BM: Now we keep referring to Zolani Tete as a former world champion. How does that sit with you? ZT: Eish my bra, it annoys me a lot because I am still young to be referred to as a former world champion. That is why I am working so hard to regain a world championship.
BM: Speaking of working hard I hear that you will be engaged in an elimination bout sometime this year. ZT: Yes, I will go to camp now to prepare for my WBO world bantamweight title eliminator against Arthur Villanueva. After I beat him I will qualify to challenge Marlon Tapales.
BM: So you will possible be up against Filipino boxers in your next bouts? Have you noticed how rejuvenated Filipinos are lately? ZT: Yes I have noticed and I was amazed by their achievements on the world stage. Like you say Tapales is a Filipino, so is Jerwin Acajas, who holds the title I vacated, There are other Filipino boxers such as Johriel Casimero who holds the IBF world flyweight title. Remember Casimero was knocked out by our own Moruti Mthalane, but since then he has managed to win a world title and that is saying something about the character of Filipinos. ( Editor’s note: Tete also suffered his lone knockout defeat at the hands of Mthalane). It looks like they will soon end their losing streak against SA boxers if they have not started already. BM: I hope that does not also apply to you because you have been giving them a hiding. Perhaps Villanueva will be gunning for revenge failing which Tapales will take over the revenge factor. ZT: They can end their losing streak against SA boxers but unfortunately I am still going to beat the hell out of them every time I face them. Villanueva is next and after that it will be Tapales’ turn.
BM: Did you watch Villanueva when he lost to your successor McJoe Arroyo for your former title? ZT: Yes I did and it helped the fact that Arroyo is a southpaw like me, because it offered me an opportunity to closely study Villanueva. I know he is good but as you know I always turn a potential tough fight into an easiest (one).
BM: Lastly Zolani I have to ask you about your brother Makazole. How is he after getting knocked out by . . . by guess who, a Filipino boxer? ZT: laughing). You mention him getting knocked out by a Filipino when my next fight will be against a Filipino. I guess I will exact revenge for the Tete family. To answer your question, Mayzo is OK now and he has put that defeat behind him. I was badly affected by his loss but after some time, we sat down and discussed it and concluded that the best way for him is to prove that he is not a quitter.
Like they say, great champions are those who are able to dust themselves off after a setback and get right back on their feet, so Mayzo has to do that; also to prove that he is a great boxer. Losses are part of the game even though no one wants them. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised when he seemed to have accepted the setback because the first step towards healing begins with accepting the situation. Mayzo will be back in the ring, trust me and he will come back stronger than ever. And by the way, it is ironic that I won the knockout of the year award when my brother lost by a brutal knockout in his own fight. This is why I decided to dedicate my award to him.
BM: Well said Zolani and like I said I am surprised that you are a boxer given your ability to articulate issues. And please no more lecture! ZT: ( laughing). No more lecture my bra besides thanking you and the entire boxing family for their unwavering support. God bless.