Zolani Tete's noble, touching deed: buys mom prosthetic leg with boxing title winnings

Nomonde Tete is the happiest mom in South Africa today.

Not only did her son Zolani defend his world boxing title on Friday night, he is planning to buy her a prosthetic leg with his winnings.

Nomonde is usually in bed by 8pm, but Friday night was no ordinary night.

Even though she has struggled to get around the house after losing her right leg to diabetes four years ago, she stayed up way past her bedtime to watch her last-born son defend his IBF junior bantamweight title against Paul Butler in Liverpool.

The boxer turns 27 today and instead of treating himself to a flashy gift, as most sportsmen do after a victory, his only wish is to help his 59-year-old mother.

His eighth-round knockout victory against the Englishman will change his mother's life, as she has been in pain and frustrated by her immobility.

''I felt like Zolani heard every single word I uttered during the fight because I was shouting instructions to him," Nomonde said from East London yesterday.

''Credit must go to God. Without his grace, we are nothing.

"I was with my other son, Makazole, [WBA pan-African and IBO international flyweight champion] while scores of people were singing and dancing outside our house."

Zolani is one of only two legitimate world champions in South Africa, the other being WBA strawweight champ Hekkie Budler. Zolani dominated the first seven rounds of the fight before ending it in style.