Tete gets a date with Donaire

SOUTH Africa’s WBO bantamweight champion Zolani Tete has finally been told when he will be fighting his World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) semifinal against the Filipino Nonito Donaire.

Tete will battle Donaire on April 27 at a venue still to be determined in the United States. Tete is a professional boxer based in the United Kingdom though he hails from Mdantsane in East London in the Eastern Cape. Due to various reasons, Tete has had a long wait to find out details of his fight against Donaire.

Tete, who fights for British promoter Frank Warren, is still largely untested against the topranked fighters. The 30-year-old southpaw beat Mikhael Aloyan on a unanimous 12-round points decision in October last year to move into the WBSS semifinal but then came rumours that the WBSS tournament was going to be abandoned.

Tete has been in outstanding form against lesser opponents over the past two years, with wins over Arthur Villaneuva, Siboniso Gonya (world record 11-second KO in the first round), Omar Andres Narvaez and Aloyan. But in Donaire, Tete faces his most experienced opponent to date.

He has won world titles at four different weights and won numerous awards, which include being a twotime winner of The Ring’s Knockout of the Year award.

He was also named Fighter of the Year in 2012 by the Boxing Writers Association of America. However, Donaire has moved down to the bantamweight division for this tournament after fighting as a featherweight for the last two years and that could favour the South African.

| ANA