Zolani Tete will take a keen interest when British boxer Jamie McDonnell defends his WBA regular bantamweight title against late replacement Fernando Vargas at the O2 Arena, Greenwich, London tomorrow night.
Already a potential fight between Tete and McDonnell is looming.
The British champion’s handlers have not stopped taking an indirect dig at Tete, when McDonnell was initially scheduled to face Mexican Juan Alberto Rosas before the latter reportedly suffered an injury in training.
The promoters kept bringing Tete’s name into the promotion of the fight by saying McDonnell would face a boxer who beat the Mdantsane boxer.
Indeed Rosas earned a controversial win over Tete in Mexico when the Mdantsane southpaw was still green.
But even then ringsiders still feel Tete did enough to eke out the decision, and the majority decision loss against him perhaps lends credence to the argument.
Tete’s manager Mla Tengimfene is still livid with the outcome, describing it as daylight robbery.
“I see now McDonnell people are riding on that undeserved loss by marketing themselves and it riles me big time,” Tengimfene said before Rosas was replaced by his compatriot Vargas.
However, the British champion can use all the tricks he wants to put himself on par with the Mdantsane boxer to market himself.
But Tete says he dreams of the moment when McDonnell would be required to back up his sanctimony in the ring.
“He is obviously talking himself up like a superstar who would have beaten the boxer who beat me but let’s wait until we get into the ring,” Tete said.
“Last Born” has proven to be a household name in England where he has joined McDonnell’s rival promoter Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions.
And already he has proven his mettle with two stoppage victories against solid opposition.
And as he is now scheduled to challenge WBA Interim champion Zhanat Zhayikonov in June, a showdown with McDonnell is almost inevitable.
“We know McDonnell but we will still be watching him keenly tomorrow,” said Tengimfene.
McDonnell will be returning home for the first time since his razor-thin victory over Japanese Tomoki Kameda to wrest the title in the US last year.
He is a big bantamweight even though he claims that he still can make the division without a struggle.
However, he has also cast doubts on his continuing to fight in the division by hinting a move up to the junior featherweight where lucrative domestic duels against the likes of Scott Quigg and Carl Frampton are tempting.
Tengimfene says McDonnell may chose to vacate the title and claim to be interested in mega bouts against the aforementioned boxers than risk a clash with Tete.
“I am not saying he will but the fact that he is hinting at moving up a division might be telling something,” he said.
The lanky British star has lost twice and drawn once in 30 fights compared to Vargas, who will come to the clash with a patchy fight record of nine losses and three draws in 41 outings.
Tete’s loss to Rosas is one of two highly disputed defeats. He suffered the third at the hands of Moruti Mthalane when he was inexperienced.