FORMER John Riel Casimero opponent Zolani Tete was shot dead in front of his house in the Eastern Cape town of Mdantsane, South Africa on Friday.
Tete, the former WBO bantamweight and IBF junior-bantamweight champion, was gunned down by two unidentified assailant just as he was waiting for the gate of his house to open, according to reports from South Africa,
He died right on the spot, while his woman companion suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital.
No arrest yet has been made.
He was 38.
The South African was best remembered after Casimero dethroned him of his WBO 118-pound crown in November 2019 via a third round TKO at Arena Birmingham in England.
Casimero knocked down Tete twice in the third round before referee Steve Gray waved off the fight at the 2:14 mark as the South African tried to survive the onslaught of the Filipino challenger.
A southpaw, Tete compiled a ring record of 29-4 including 22 KOs.
Of his Filipino foes, only Casimero managed to pull off a win against the South African fighter.
Among the Filipino fighters who lost against him include Arthur Villanueva, Rexon Flores, Eduard Penerio, Richard Garcia, and Jether Oliva.
Tete likewise held the distinction of scoring the fastest knockout in a world title fight when he finished off compatriot Siboniso Gonya in just 11 seconds to retain his WBO crown at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2017.
He was making the fourth defense of the same crown when he lost to Casimero two years later.
The South African last fought in 2022 when his bout against British Jason Cunningham was declared a no-contest after Tete failed a drug test.
Tete actually won the fight behind a fourth round knockout.
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