| |
|
RICHARD GARCIA LOSES IN IBF FLYWEIGHT TITLE ELIMINATOR
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 01 Mar 2010
Filipino Richard Garcia has lost a twelve round unanimous decision to southpaw Zolani Tete of South Africa in an IBF flyweight title eliminator at the Wembley Indoor Arena in Johannesburg.
All three judges had Tete the winner by a lopsided margin with two judges scoring the fight 118-110 and the third judge 118-108.
The 21 year old Tete, nicknamed “The Last Born” headlined a promotion of well-known and multi-titled South African “Promoter of the Year” Branco Milenkovic and earned the right to face Moruti Mthalane who once gave IBF/IBO flyweight champion Nonito "Th Filipino Flash" Donaire a few problems in a title clash but eventually lost by a sixth round TKO.
By all accounts the title eliminator wasn’t a terribly exciting bout but the win was considered big for Tete who was facing a tough, 24 year old challenger from the Philippines who, as a result of the loss dropped to 20-10-1 with 5 knockouts. Tete improved to 13-0 with 11 knockouts.
Tete had won his last three fights all by first round stoppages but Garcia proved too durable for the South African who on March 29, 2009 scored a stunning first round knockout over former Filipino world title challenger Rexon Flores in just 28 seconds of the opening round.
Tete is trained by South Africa’s legendary boxer Vuyani “The Beast” Bungu who said they had “trained very hard for this fight and we are not taking any chances against Garcia because we want Zolani to be a champion by the end of the year.”
On the eve of the fight Milenkovic said the fans should expect a good fight because Garcia is a tough customer and “as you know fighters from the Philippines always give a good fight.”
The popular promoter noted that Garcia also wanted the right to challenge Mthalane for the world title but said he believed Tete would win and that “losing was not an option.”
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Press Conference Notes: Puerto Rican Star Xander Zayas Ready for Saturday's Hometown Unification Battle against Abass Baraou
, Fri, 30 Jan 2026PFDA Grass Nationals in Tagum on June 5-7
By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 30 Jan 2026‘THE RING 6’ TEOFIMO LOPEZ VS. SHAKUR STEVENSON PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
, Fri, 30 Jan 2026NEWCASTLE PRESS CONFERENCE: WHAT WAS SAID AS JOSH KELLY AND BAKHRAM MURTAZALIEV ARE KEPT APART AFTER HEATED FACE-OFF
, Fri, 30 Jan 2026Weights From ProBoxTV’s ‘Flores vs. Castillo’ at Live! Casino Hotel Maryland
, Fri, 30 Jan 2026WAPA Deportes Confirmed as Puerto Rican Broadcast Home for Saturday’s Xander Zayas vs. Abass Baraou Title Unification Showdown
, Fri, 30 Jan 2026Legendary Panamanian Juan Carlos Tapia will be inducted into the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame
By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Fri, 30 Jan 2026Manny Pacquiao Promotions Announces Additional Matchups for Saturday, February 28 Event at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York
, Fri, 30 Jan 2026SWERVE TV STRIKES MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS TO EXPAND PREMIUM BOXING CONTENT
, Fri, 30 Jan 2026Leuenbergers to join IRONMAN® 70.3 Davao
By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 30 Jan 2026Open Workout: Xander Zayas and Abass Baraou Prepare For Saturday's Unification Showdown in Puerto Rico
, Thu, 29 Jan 2026Cabrera-Zapata Kicks Off All Star Boxing's 2026 Season
, Thu, 29 Jan 2026Manny Pacquiao Chess Philippines: Cash prizes, FIDE rating at stakes this Sunday
By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 29 Jan 2026IBP Fun Run & Family Day on February 15
By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 29 Jan 2026TEOFIMO LOPEZ AND SHAKUR STEVENSON FACE-OFF AT KNICKS GAME AS COUNTDOWN TO ‘THE RING 6’ ON SATURDAY BEGINS
, Wed, 28 Jan 2026Davao to sponsor P500K in IRONMAN 70.3
By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 28 Jan 2026JOSH KELLY SOUNDS WARNING TO WORLD TITLE RIVAL BAKHRAM MURTAZALIEV AS HE TARGETS HISTORIC NORTH EAST HOMECOMING
, Wed, 28 Jan 2026Gallegos and Alvarez Shine Bright with Knockout Wins at Fontainebleau Las Vegas
, Wed, 28 Jan 2026Pedro Carrasco Remembered in Spain 25 Years After His Passing
By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 28 Jan 2026Gensan Outdoor, Gensan Educator support MFPI 5th Mindanao Summit in Mt. Apo
By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 28 Jan 2026Vitor vs Subkhankulov, Tapales vs Kalsynov in Double IBF Asia Title Fights in Moscow on Feb. 13
By Dong Secuya, , Tue, 27 Jan 2026“It’s about owning my own journey” Jeanine Brown retuns for Title Clash March 13 – Thunderdome 53
, Tue, 27 Jan 2026Long Boxing Journey settles in New Bedford, MA for Junior Featherweight prospect Joshua Alvarado
, Tue, 27 Jan 2026Steph Curry is 19th leading scorer of the NBA
By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 27 Jan 2026Ocum is WBC Asian lightweight champ
By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 27 Jan 2026 |
|
|
|
|
|
