The boxing fraternity in Mzansi has been rocked by the four-year ban handed down to accomplished former two-weight world champion and Boxing South Africa (BSA) 2017 boxer of the year Zolani “Last Born” Tete, leaving his career hanging in the balance.
The ban was handed down by UK Anti-doping last week. It stems from the prohibited substance stanozolol, a muscle-cutting agent often used by bodybuilders, and was found in Tete’s urine sample last year.
This after the Mdantsane southpaw’s fourth round knockout win over British fighter Jason Cunningham at Wembley Arena in England on July 2, 2022, with that result now likely to be changed to a no-contest following the ban.
This, however, isn’t uncommon in boxing, with the sport having seen some of its big stars receive bans and serving time on the sidelines for either medical suspensions or bans for using performance-enhancing drugs.
Some of the biggest names in boxing such as Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury, Mike Tyson, Canelo Alvarez and Muhammad Ali (a British boxer in lower division) to name a few, have all received bans at some stage of their careers.
Sunday World looks back at some of the most notable suspensions of local boxers, including the likes of Ruann Visser, Jared Lovett, Matima Molefe, Ali Funeka, Vusi Malinga and Barend van Rooyen.
Ruan Visser:
The SA heavyweight boxing champion was banned for four years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland after he tested positive for stanozolol at the back of his win over Osborne Machimana in 2018.
Although Visser’s legal team fought hard to challenge the ban, it stood, and he was eventually stripped of the title and the bout was declared as a no-contest as did some of his other fights.
Ali Funeka:
Funeka, better known as “Rush Hour”, is a former SA junior lightweight‚ WBC International lightweight‚ WBF junior welterweight‚ IBO and WBO Africa welterweight title holder who possessed immense talent.
His case was rather unfortunate as he was suspended for nine months and fined for testing positive for a banned diuretic, which was given to him by a doctor who was not aware it was a banned substance. This was in the build-up to his fight against Joan Guzman for the vacant IBF lightweight belt in Las Vegas.
Matima Molefe:
In 2011, the featherweight tested positive for nandrolone, a synthetic version of testosterone often used by athletes to build muscle.
Traces of this banned substance showed up in Molefe’s urine test after his fight against Simphiwe Tom for the vacant South African featherweight title. He was subsequently stripped of the title and banned for two years.
Vusi Malinga:
Malinga, a former bantamweight champion, was stripped of his title and suspended for two years after he tested positive for a prohibited substance in 2004.
Malinga was tested after his WBC international title fight against Joel Bauya and was found to have elevated testosterone levels.
His brother, Patrick Malinga also tested positive for anabolic steroids around the same period and was similarly slapped with a two-year ban.
Jared Lovett:
Lovett, affectionately known as “The Storm” was banned for two years after testing positive for steroids in 2010.
He tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol in 2009, after his loss on points to Thomas Oosthuizen in a bout for the IBO Youth light heavyweight belt at
Emperors Palace. “The Storm” never fought again.
Barend van Rooyen:
The former SA middleweight champion was slapped with a two-year ban from active professional boxing by the SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport in 2018. Van Rooyen tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide and its metabolites, as well as chlorothiazide.
Samples of his urine were taken after he had won the vacant SA title against Yanga Phethani.
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