Teremoana Teremoana can tick off another first on Wednesday. The Star Gold Coast will get its first taste of the 28-year-old as a headliner, and recent evidence suggests the locals won’t need to settle in for a long night.
The Brisbane heavyweight has notched up 11 wins and 11 knockouts in his six years as a professional, ending the argument each time within the first two rounds. Next on the hit list? USA’s DeAndre Savage (11-1, 11 KOs) who shares the accolade of winning 11 fights without the need for judges.
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But Teremoana has his sights set way higher than the scalp of Wednesday’s 35-year-old challenger.
Of course, he is careful not to overtly admit that in the run-up to the 12th fight of his paid career. But with the heavyweight division due to welcome a new generation of stars and belt-holders, he’s keen to front that specific queue.
“I’m not like any of these other guys,” Teremoana told Uncrowned. “I made the decision to jump off of my couch in my 20s and make it my goal to become heavyweight champion of the world. It’s a goal, not a dream. That’s what makes me different, hungrier — I’ll get there because of my own reasons.”
Over the next 12 months, it’s likely that we will be seeing the last meaningful fights of this generation’s heavyweight kings. Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are all in their late 30s or early 40s. Teremoana sees himself as one of the next on the heavyweight conveyor belt.
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He states that “[Moses] Itauma, [Agit] Kabayel” and himself will be the headline-makers over the next few years, and was quick to put himself alongside some of the division’s best in future heavyweight scraps.
“When people ask if I want to fight Justis [Huni], yeah I want to fight Justis,” he explained at the final press conference before Wednesday’s fight.
“I want to fight Itauma. I want to fight [Filip] Hrgovic. I want to fight [Daniel] Dubois. I want to fight Usyk, Kabayel. I want to fight all of these people. But obviously I’ve got to earn my way there.”
“Touching on Justis again, because I just want to make it clear that I don’t care too much about politics,” Teremoana continued. “I only want to prove that I am the best fighter in the world.
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“When it comes to that fight, I do think it would fill a stadium. Some people say he’s the best Australian fighter [at heavyweight]. And some people say that I am. I myself say that I am the best Australian fighter that’s ever been in Australia.”
Teremoana Teremoana’s clash with DeAndre Savage at The Star Gold Coast this week could position him among the next generation of heavyweight contenders.
(Chris Hyde via Getty Images)
Australia has long been a region in boxing that has struggled to market fighters on a sizable global scale. But Teremoana believes that Matchroom Boxing’s funding Down Under will breathe life into the potential of this fight between him and a natural rival in Justis Huni (13-1, 7 KOs).
“The world is at our feet,” he said.
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Wednesday’s fight with Savage has been designed by Matchroom, in part, to see Teremoana answer a couple of questions. He’s heard the bell at the start of only 13 different rounds, and hasn’t had to box off the back foot across these outings. Savage isn’t a recognized name in the division, but being the first man to stop the American is the dangling carrot for Teremoana.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has been open about the thinking behind the matchup. “Nobody else wanted this fight, but Savage did,” he said this week, framing it as the live test Teremoana’s rise has been missing, rather than another walkover on the pile.
Teremoana isn’t dismissing Savage entirely, either — there’s a flicker of genuine respect underneath the bravado.
“I’ve seen his 10-round fight against Brandon Moore, and I’ve got to give him respect,” Teremoana said. “He’s got good movement. I like the way he paces himself for a pro heavyweight fighter. I’m not taking this guy easy.”
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Then, almost as an afterthought, the boast returned: “I think I’m about 260 pounds. Pure muscle. Pure prettiness.”
The bigger picture, though, is the one Teremoana keeps steering the conversation back toward — a heavyweight division on the verge of changing hands entirely. Usyk has already vacated his belts. Fury is deep into what he insists is his final comeback. Joshua is on the other end of endless, draining negotiations with his fellow Englishman. Wilder is circling the exit in his own way.
Whatever happens over the next 12 months at the top of the division, it will not be this generation writing the final chapter — it’ll be whoever’s left standing when the old guard finally clears out. Boxing moves on quickly.
Teremoana wants his name on that list, alongside Itauma and Kabayel. There will of course be more. Dubois isn’t going anywhere fast, and he happens to be the heavyweight that Teremoana believes is the “hardest hitting in the division”.
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Whether Teremoana’s ambition survives contact with Savage on Wednesday is precisely the point of putting him in the ring in the first place. Quick knockouts have bought Teremoana the platform. This is where he has to start proving the rest of it.
Nothing is given at heavyweight. It’s the one division where history keeps repeating itself and where careers are made or broken by a single punch. Teremoana is building his by being the man throwing that punch. On Wednesday, he finds out again whether that’s enough.
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