Zolani Petelo Record
| Total Fights | 24 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 17 |
| Losses | 5 |
| Draws | 2 |
| No-Contests | 0 |
| Title Wins | 1 |
|---|---|
| Title Defenses | 5 |
| Title-Fight KOs | 4 |
| KO Wins | 9 |
| KO Losses | 2 |
Featured Opponents
What is Zolani Petelo's boxing record?
In a professional boxing career spanning 12 years and eight months, Zolani Petelo fought 24 times with 17 wins, 5 losses, and 2 draws.
Petelo retired from professional boxing with a record of 17-5-2, which included one strawweight world-title win and five successful title defense fights. He had a 37.5% knockouts-to-fights ratio with nine of his total 24 fights being knockout wins, four of which were in title fights. Petelo suffered two knockout losses in his career, one of which was against Ricardo Lopez in a light-flyweight title fight.
His last fight was a 8-round unanimous decision defeat to Nkosana Sobethu on December 17, 2005.
Some of Petelo's best fights and notable victories include wins over Ratanapol Sor Vorapin, Eric Jamili, Mickey Cantwell, Carmelo Caceres, Juanito Rubillar, Roberto Gomez, and Faisol Akbar.
| # | Date | Age | Opponent | Res | Via |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Dec 17, 2005 | 30 | Nkosana Sobethu | Loss | UD |
| 23 | May 6, 2005 | 29 | Zolile Mbityi | Loss | MD |
| 22 | Sep 29, 2001 | 26 | Ricardo Lopez | Loss * | KO8 |
| 21 | Apr 22, 2001 | 25 | Roberto Gomez | Win | PTS |
| 20 | Jun 2, 2000 | 24 | Mickey Cantwell | Win * | TKO8 |
| 19 | Dec 3, 1999 | 24 | Juanito Rubillar | Win * | UD |
| 18 | May 29, 1999 | 23 | Eric Jamili | Win * | KO1 |
| 17 | Jul 4, 1998 | 22 | Carmelo Caceres | Win * | TKO7 |
| 16 | Mar 21, 1998 | 22 | Faisol Akbar | Win * | SD |
| 15 | Dec 27, 1997 | 22 | Ratanapol Sor Vorapin | Win * | TKO4 |
| 14 | Sep 27, 1997 | 22 | Mnyamezeli Shosha | Win | KO6 |
| 13 | Apr 20, 1997 | 21 | Neo Seboka | Loss | PTS |
| 12 | Oct 19, 1996 | 21 | Lindi Memani | Loss | KO10 |
| 11 | Jul 14, 1996 | 20 | Xola Made | Win | KO6 |
| 10 | Feb 18, 1996 | 20 | Mawanda Sineko | Win | PTS |
| 9 | Apr 30, 1995 | 19 | Kholisile Nyanda | Win | PTS |
| 8 | Aug 7, 1994 | 18 | Xolani Sithhole | Win | KO2 |
| 7 | Jun 12, 1994 | 18 | Zolile Ngantweni | Draw | PTS |
| 6 | Feb 27, 1994 | 18 | Fezile Ngalo | Draw | PTS |
| 5 | Oct 31, 1993 | 18 | Butana Kate | Win | TKO5 |
| 4 | Sep 5, 1993 | 17 | Joseph Nimrod | Win | PTS |
| 3 | Jul 4, 1993 | 17 | Goodman Nketyana | Win | TKO3 |
| 2 | May 23, 1993 | 17 | Sifundo Nyoka | Win | PTS |
| 1 | Apr 3, 1993 | 17 | Xola Made | Win | PTS |
* World-title fight
Boxing career
Zolani Petelo (Tiger) is a 48-year old retired South African professional boxer. He was born in Ibhayi, South Africa on September 21, 1975. He is a former strawweight world champion. His professional boxing career spanned more than 12 years — from 1993 to 2005.
Petelo made his professional boxing debut against Xola Made at the age of 17 on April 3, 1993, defeating Made via 4 round PTS. He went on to win 4 more consecutive fights after the debut, which included 2 wins via stoppage.
He had his first world title fight at the age of 22 on December 27, 1997 after 14 professional fights, against Ratanapol Sor Vorapin for the strawweight IBF title. He defeated Vorapin via 4th round TKO to become the strawweight champion of the world.
Petelo has won one world title at strawweight. For all the details about Petelo's world title wins and defenses refer to the "Championships" section below.
Petelo had a total of five losses in his professional boxing career.
His last professional fight was a non-title bout against Nkosana Sobethu on December 17, 2005. Petelo lost the fight via 8 round unanimous decision. It's been 18 years, 4 months, and 2 days since this fight.
Championships
Petelo had a total of seven world-title fights, which includes winning one world title and five successful title defenses. He won six of these fights and lost one.
Title Wins
Zolani Petelo fought for a strawweight world title in two fights and won once, which came via way of stoppage. He won one strawweight belt.
| Date | Opponent | Division | Titles Won | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 1997 | Ratanapol Sor Vorapin | Strawweight | IBF | TKO |
Title Defenses
Zolani Petelo had five strawweight world-title defense fights. He won all of these fights.
| Date | Opponent | Division | Titles Defended | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 2000 | Mickey Cantwell | Strawweight | IBF | TKO |
| Dec 3, 1999 | Juanito Rubillar | Strawweight | IBF | UD |
| May 29, 1999 | Eric Jamili | Strawweight | IBF | KO |
| Jul 4, 1998 | Carmelo Caceres | Strawweight | IBF | TKO |
| Mar 21, 1998 | Faisol Akbar | Strawweight | IBF | SD |
Highlights
Petelo fought a total of 24 times during his professional career, which includes 7 world-title fights at two weight divisions. These two fights are the highlight of his career.
December 27, 1997: Petelo wins his first world title by defeating Ratanapol Sor Vorapin via 4th round TKO. He is now the IBF strawweight world champion.
May 29, 1999: Petelo successfully defends the IBF strawweight title against Eric Jamili, winning the fight via 1st round KO.
FAQs
How many KOs does Zolani Petelo have on his record?
Petelo knocked out 9 of his 24 opponents. By his last fight, his KO ratio was at 37.5%. Of his total 17 wins, nine of them were via KO (52.9%).
What was Zolani Petelo's first world title win?
Petelo's first world-title win was the IBF belt at strawweight. He defeated Ratanapol Sor Vorapin via 4 round TKO to win the title.
How many world titles did Zolani Petelo win?
Petelo won one world title at strawweight.
How many title defenses did Zolani Petelo make?
Petelo had 5 successful title defense fights.