The planned ring return for two-time world champion Zolani Tete after the end of his lengthy ban has encountered stumbling blocks after Boxing SA confirmed that he does not qualify to be licensed.
The country’s boxing fraternity wildly celebrated the end of Tete’s four-year ban on Thursday and congratulated him for finally being cleared to resume his boxing career.
Tete remains one of SA’s best boxing successes after he won the IBF junior bantamweight title before moving up to claim the WBO bantamweight belt, making him one of the country’s few to win two major world titles in two divisions.
He is also considered SA’s best boxing export to England, where he signed a lucrative contract with top British promoter Frank Warren, whose Queensberry Promotions handles top boxers such as former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, WBO heavyweight king Daniel Dubois, rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma and newly minted WBC heavyweight monarch Agit Kabayel.
Tete was slapped with the maximum sentence after his four-round demolition of Englishman Jason Cunningham in his first junior featherweight bout in his quest to win a third divisional world belt in July 2022 in London.
Traces of the banned substance, stanozolol, were found in his post-fight urine sample test, forcing him to lose all the regional titles he won in the fight, with the outcome changed to no contest.
Despite pleading innocence, United Kingdom Anti-Doping gave him the maximum ban, which he served out while keeping fit at All Winners Boxing Club.
Tete vowed he would not quit boxing despite being 38 years old when the ban ended.
However, his planned boxing return will not be smooth sailing as he is not eligible to resume it owing to his age and his lengthy absence.
BSA chief executive Tsholefelo Lejaka said according to current regulations Tete was not eligible to be granted a licence to resume his boxing career.
“The current regulations stipulate that a boxer who had been out of the ring for a year and is above the age of 35 years cannot be licensed,” he said.
“So Zolani Tete has been out of boxing for over a year and is over 35 years old, so he does not qualify.”
However, Lejaka said the regulations were in the process of being amended, with sports minister Gayton McKenzie expected to sign them into law.
“The regulations were gazetted in July, and the minister is expected to sign them into law by August after the consultation process, and Tete will qualify to be relicensed.”
Lejaka said he was aware that a flood of retired boxers would also expect to be relicensed under amended regulations.
But he said BSA had already put in place precautionary measures to mitigate such expectancy.
“We have also strengthened our medical committee and fortified provincial structures which preside over sparring sessions where boxers vie to graduate to the professional ranks.”
Tete’s manager, Mla Tengimfene, said Tete would still push for a ring return in anticipation of positive feedback from BSA.
Daily Dispatch
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