Don’t blink.

Hard-hitting southpaw Zolani Tete will make the second defense of his WBO bantamweight title against Omar Narvaez on the Carl Frampton-Nonito Donaire undercard at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on April 21.

Tete, who is rated No. 1 by THE RING at 118 pounds, behind champion Shinsuke Yamanaka, won a legion of new fans back in November when he knocked out Siboniso Gonya in just 11 seconds, setting a new world record for the fastest knockout ever recorded in a world title fight.

That emphatic performance also took place in Belfast and undoubtedly caught the attention of local favorite and WBA bantamweight titleholder Ryan Burnett.

“Let’s see who the real bantamweight king is,” said Tete (26-3, 21 knockouts). “I want to unify the division and Ryan Burnett is standing in my way. Let’s not rob the public of a brilliant fight. They want to see the best fight the best.

“Until that fight is made I will do everything that is asked of me by my team. Narvaez is a mandatory defense and I’ll be aiming to dispatch him in style to make another statement. I can’t wait to put in another explosive performance for all of my new fans in Belfast.”

Narvaez (47-2-2, 25 KOs) has won five fights since suffering a knockout loss to Japanese sensation Naoya Inoue. He has held WBO flyweight and junior bantamweight belts and is now aiming to become a three-weight world titleholder.

“Tete is an exceptional talent and I’m delighted that he will be showcasing his skills in Belfast once again,” said Promoter Frank Warren. “We’re bringing him back to Belfast because we want to make the Ryan Burnett unification fight.

“If Tete keeps on dominating shows in Burnett’s hometown perhaps it will lure him out of hiding. Let’s give the fans the fight that they want to see. We want to make that fight in Belfast and I’m sure it would pack out the SSE Arena.”

A limited number of tickets for Frampton v Donaire are available to purchase from the SSE Arena Belfast Box Office, www.ssearenabelfast.com and 0044(0)28 9073 9074. Prices range from £40 (tier) to £400 (inner-ring hospitality).

Information courtesy of a press release issued by Frank Warren PR.

Tom Gray is Associate Editor for THE RING. Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing

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