The Scouse African: Zolani Tete a Star in the Making as He Returns to Liverpool

Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz was right—there's no place like home.

However, South African boxer Zolani Tete seems to have found a spot where he feels just as comfortable as the Eastern Cape in his native land.

When the man nicknamed Last Born first turned up in Liverpool, England, in March 2015, he was the reigning IBF super flyweight champion defending his belt against local favourite Paul Butler.

Butler was expected to triumph. Tete's record was good, but no one had seen too much of him. The bookies' odds suggested the challenger would claim the title and become a two-weight world champion.

Yet southpaw Tete hadn't read the script.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

At 5'9" and with a reach of 72", he was able to dictate proceedings from range.

Even when Butler did occasionally manage to shorten the gap between the pair, Tete more than matched his opponent in the close exchanges.

The inevitable end came in Round 8, as a bemused Butler was dropped by a beautiful uppercut. He just about managed to rise in time to avoid being counted out but was in no fit state to continue.

Per Tom Gray of The Ring magazine, the beaten Butler praised his foe in his post-fight interview: "He [Tete] was very good and the better man won on the night. He stood off and picked his shots very well and we knew by his record that he carried plenty of power. He’s a great champion."

Butler wasn't the only one impressed by Tete.

While he was far from an unknown quantity, nobody had quite expected Tete to be that good.

Promoter Frank Warren was so impressed he even signed the 28-year-old to join his stable of fighters.

Tete returned to Liverpool just over a year on from his victory over Butler. He stepped up to bantamweight to defeat Jose Santos Gonzalez and pick up the vacant IBF International belt.

On Saturday, he is back boxing again in the city. He defends his international title against Mexican Victor Ruiz.

Where once he was viewed as the villain for beating Butler, now he is welcomed back with open arms.

It seems the feeling is mutual. Tete said of Liverpool, per quotes published by FrankWarren.com:

"

I can't wait to fight again Liverpool. It feels like home every time I'm there. I've been preparing for the fight for almost eight weeks now and I'm ready to deliver another explosive performance for my loyal fans.

Liverpool fight fans have been so good to me ever since I beat Paul Butler and I'm looking to repay their support with another exciting victory. I've heard they call me the Scouse African now! The Echo Arena holds happy memories for me and I plan on sending my fans home happy on June 4.

"

Tete’s increased exposure in England opens up possibilities at bigger prizes.

He has his sights set on two Englishmen in particular, as BoxNation revealed on Twitter:

Haskins is the reigning IBF champion at 118 pounds. McDonnell holds the WBA regular belt at the same weight. A fight against either would be fantastic for Tete and wonderful to watch as a neutral.

There was talk of Tete taking on Zhanat Zhakiyanov, the WBA’s interim champion. Whispers on social media even suggested the belt holder pulled out of a scheduled bout.

However, Ricky Hatton—Zhakiyanov’s manager—set the record straight to Tim Rickson of British Boxing News: "Zhanat couldn’t have pulled out of facing Tete because the fight wasn’t even made."

You could forgive bantamweights if they did choose to steer clear of Tete (not that fighters tend to back down from any challenge, provided the price is right).

He is tall, awkward and can hit hard. Per BoxRec, he has a career knockout ratio of 73 per cent, an impressively high number for someone so light on the scales.

For those who don’t have to cope with Tete in the ring, it’s much easier to warm to him.

While some fighters treat their mothers to a new car or house when they succeed at the highest level, Tete revealed to BoxNation that, after beating Butler, he planned to buy his mum a new leg. Yes, really:

Tete's circumstances draw parallels to a famous fighter from the not-so distance past who also had to travel to build his reputation.

Just under two decades ago, with limited opportunities in the United States, Ronald "Winky" Wright set up a temporary base in England to help maximise his earning potential.

A world champion at the time, he defended his WBO super welterweight title against home fighters Ensley Bingham, Steve Foster and Adrian Dodson.

Wright eventually returned home and found stardom in the latter stages of his career. He had taken a detoured route to the top but still managed to get there in the end.

The same could yet happen with Tete.

Grounded, gifted and greedy for big fights, the man dubbed the Scouse African is a mighty fine South African export.

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