The day South African fight fans have been waiting for has finally arrived after German promoter Kalle Sauerland announced that SA star Zolani “Last Born” Tete and Filipino legend Nonito Donaire will meet in the semifinals of the World Boxing Super bantam Series (WBSS).
While Sauerland is yet to confirm the venue? the contest is set to take place in the United States of America on April 27.
Tete holds the WBO belt while Donaire is the WBA Super champion.
The winner will take on the victor between Japanese IBF holder Naoya Inoue and Puerto Rico WBA titlist Emmanuel Rodriguez? whose clash will take place in Glasgow? Scotland? on May 18.
The overall winner of the WBSS will become the undisputed bantamweight champion and will be richly rewarded.
The champion will also be awarded the inaugural Muhammad Ali Trophy. It was also announced that the winner between Tete and Donaire would be presented with the WBC Diamond belt.
Tete? 30? from Mdantsane is trained at home by Loyiso Mtya and Mihikiza Myekeni.
The left hander? a former IBF junior bantamweight undefeated champion? made it clear last week that he was looking past Donaire and his focus was on the final where he hoped to meet Naoya.
??My fight with Donaire is more than getting into the finals of the WBSS and the Muhammad Ali Trophy?? Tete said.
??It is a fight that I will be fighting for myself? my country and my countrymen Moruti Mthalane and Simpiwe Vetyeka.
??I will not rule out Jeffrey Mathebula but Donaire’s fights against Moruti and Vetyeka are the ones that make me very angry because he did not win fairly against them.?
Mthalane lost to Donaire in an IBF flyweight title fight via a fifth round stoppage at MGM Grand in Las Vegas in 2008.
A laceration inside Mthalane’s eye brought the fight to an end. But it was Donaire who alerted the referee to the injury at a time when Mthalane was taking the fight to him.
Donaire then broke Mathebula’s jaw in their IBF and WBO unification bout in 2012. Mathebula held the IBF strap while Donaire was the WBO holder.
Donaire also ended the reign of Vetyeka as the WBA Super featherweight champion under mysterious circumstances in 2014.
