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Steve KimESPN
WBO bantamweight champion Zolani Tete (28-3, 21 KOs) has been scratched due to a shoulder injury and will not be facing Nonito Donaire (39-5, 25 KOs) this Saturday night at the Cajun Dome in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the World Boxing Super Series semifinals.
A source not authorized by the WBSS has confirmed the news, and Dan Rafael has been given confirmation by DAZN, which is streaming this event. The night also includes the WBSS junior welterweight semifinal match between Regis Prograis and Kiryl Relikh.
Fox Sports was first to report the news about Tete.
Donaire’s manager and wife, Rachel, made it clear that they still plan on fighting this weekend. Stephon Young, who is on this card, could be the replacement.
“We can’t control the opponent, just as much as if Zolani — or any opponent — came back with a positive drug test from VADA. It’s nothing that we should pay the price for, when it was not under our control,” she said.
Donaire said she heard rumors of Tete injuring himself in camp while they were in Las Vegas. She clearly was not happy with how things have transpired.
“Having an injury that close (to the fight), you know if you’re going to be able to recover or not. Especially when you leave, when you make that commitment to get on the plane, you know, you know in your heart — you’re either going to step inside that ring or not,” she said.
“At that point, on fight week you’re not really training hard, you’re running, you’re sweating, you’re trying to make weight.”
Early Wednesday morning, Rachel Donaire was conferring with their promoter, Richard Schaefer, and officials of the WBSS to come up with a solution. She said she believes that Tete not being able to fight Saturday disqualifies him from the tournament. The WBSS has made sure to book boxers who are in the same weight classes as the tournament participants to ensure that replacements would be readily available.
“We made the sacrifices,” said Donaire, who noted that friends and family had booked flights and hotels to come to Louisiana this weekend. “We’ve been training for Tete since the second week of November.”
She was adamant that she doesn’t want this training camp wasted by her husband.
“Nonito has isolated himself for the last month,” she said.