Frank Warren Eyes Zolani Tete vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux

By Edward Chaykovsky

Promoter Frank Warren has big plans in store for Zolani Tete (24-3, 20 KOs) of South Africa.

The talented boxer, who previously held the IBF super flyweight world title, is now in the bantamweight ranks and looking for more gold. Tete made his bantamweight debut in March of this year and stopped Jose Gonzalez for the IBF International title.

He's been making a name for himself with British boxing fans with three of his last five fights taking place in the UK.  

Warren would like to eventually position Tete for a showdown with two-time Olympic gold medal winner Guillermo Rigondeaux (17-0, 11 KOs), who holds the WBA bantamweight crown.

Rigondeaux returns on February 25th, when he makes a mandatory defense against IBO champion Moises Flores as part of the undercard to the HBO Pay-Per-View which featured Miguel Cotto in the main event against James Kirkland. Rigondeaux has already made his mark in the UK as well, when he was featured on a Warren show earlier this year with a TKO win over Jazza Dickens. Warren is interested in using Rigondeaux on future cards.

Warren has full confidence that Tete will eventually capture a world title in new year. A world title eliminator is within Tete's reach, says Warren. Tete has won his last eight contest, six by knockout, after suffering has last career defeat in 2013.

"Zolani has already been world champion and never lost his title in the ring. We’ve got options in two divisions but I’m close to securing him a final eliminator for the WBO bantamweight title. I’m very confident he’ll regain his world title status this year and ultimately I want to maneuver him into a fight with Rigondeaux. That’s the level I see him operating at," Warren told Glynn Evans.