Zolani Tete Obliterates Jason Cunningham!
In his latest tour of duty, super bantamweight Zolani “Last Born” Tete (30-4, 23 KO’s) was looking to continue righting his career against Jason “The Iceman ” Cunningham (31-7, 7 KO’s). This is due to suffering a surprise upset third round knockout loss to John Riel Casimero back on November 30, 2019. The match against Casimero stood as his first after returning from a shoulder injury that demolished a would-be duel between Tete and Nonito Donaire. Following the Casimero setback, Last Born rebounded with a first round stoppage win over Iddi Kayumba. Currently Tete is ranked #6 (WBO).
For his part, Cunningham entered the dustup with the goal of extending his current win streak to eight. The UK southpaw last tasted defeat by way of unanimous decision when he tangled with Olympian Michael Conlan. Since then the Iceman, ranked #6 (IBF), #13 (WBO) and #14 (WBC), picked up a number of wins over shaky opposition. Yet, Cunningham did best Gamal Yafai two prizefights ago to secure the EBU 122-pound strap. He would then beat an undefeated Brad Foster in his next match to take possession of the Commonwealth and IBF International super bantamweight titles.
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Unfortunately for the viewing audience, the first three rounds were rather dull. During those periods the South African controlled the range and pace in carefree fashion through the use of his footwork and jab. For his part, Cunningham was having little success in any department. Then in a sudden change, Tete dropped the Iceman with a left hook early in the fourth. The southpaw climbed back to his feet but he was clearly still feeling the effects.
After being allowed to continue, Tete immediately pounced on Cunningham. In no time, Last Born submerged the Iceman in a whirlwind of punches. While doing so, he nailed Cunningham with another devastating left hook. This time the champ went down limply. When he hit the canvas, his head bounced like a basketball in an And1 promo leading to a few tense moments. When everything was said and done though, Cunningham appeared to be okay. Yet this was a terrific fourth round knockout win for Tete.
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By: Bakari Simpson
