World boxing champion Zolani Tete has joined a select few boxers who have gloves designed for them.
The WBO bantamweight champion unveiled a new set of boxing gloves specifically shaped for him.
“Zolani is now in the mould of top boxers in the world like Mayweather (Floyd) who have their own gloves for training and fighting,” the boxer’s manager, Mla Tengimfene, said.
Tete is preparing for his WBO and WBA bantamweight unification clash against Filipino veteran Nonito Donaire.
The date and venue are yet to be confirmed.
The fight will serve as the semi-final of the lucrative World Boxing Super Series (WBSS.
The winner is scheduled to face the victor of the other semi-final clash between Naoya Inoue and Emmanuel Rodriguez.
And the 30-year-old Mdantsane southpaw is favoured to go all the way to contest the final against Inoue.
But reaching the age of 30 can come with its own challenges. Injuries are common and often derail careers.
And with boxers using their hands to compete, it becomes imperative to safeguard them against damaging their most valuable asset.
In order to counter this, the Tete camp has ensured that the boxer uses specifically designed boxing gloves for training and during the fight.
“The gloves are designed according to Zolani’s hand,” revealed Tengimfene.
“This means no other boxer can wear them because they are made taking into account the shape of Zolani’s hand.”
Tete suffered a hand injury in his successful WBO bantamweight title defence against Argentinean Omar Narvaez in April last year.
Tengimfene refused to say this injury had motivated Tete to start taking more comprehensive precautionary measures.
However he conceded that as the boxer is in the twilight of his career injuries may occur.
Tete is deep in the camp and is using the gloves for sparring sessions...