Teremoana Jnr will 'proclaim I'm the warrior after I've defeated you'
There is plenty of excitement around Australian heavyweight prospect Teremoana Jnr.
The heavy-hitting 11-0 (11 KOs) rising star, who fights out of Brisbane, tops the August 12 bill on the Gold Coast against the 11-1 (11 KOs) DeAndre Savage.
“So, every single fight I’ve had is a step-up,” Teremoana Jnr told Boxing Scene.
“Like, Savage, I can’t take them lightly. He’s had 12 fights, 11 wins, 11 knockouts. We know he can punch so if I stand in front of him and he lands a punch, I know it’s going to hurt. Every single heavyweight in this world can throw a decent punch. But my plan is just not to be there to be hit and box his ears off.”
No one has made it beyond Round 2 against the charismatic Australian so far, and Teremoana’s eight foes have all been dismissed in the first.
He is one of boxing’s next generation heavyweights.
Aged 28 and 6ft 6ins, the likes of Leo Atang and managerial stablemate Adam Olaniyan are also making waves.
Teremoana is aware of who they are. He said highlights of the other heavyweights pop up on his Instagram.
“From what I’ve seen, both seem like very good fighters, very good boxers,” he added.
“So if they keep on going the way they’re going, eventually we’re probably going to clash. So we’ll find out who’s better.”
That is, in part, because the current heavyweight landscape is in a shift. With faded stars like Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury still circling one another, and Oleksandr Usyk planning his exit strategy, everything is changing. New openings and opportunities are being formed, and Teremoana is not expecting much overlap from past to present.
“I think they’re just going to fight each other, to be honest,” he explained.
“I think for them to get in the ring with the young bull is too much risk for, basically, their legacy. Like, don’t get me wrong, I rate them all very highly, and they’ve done such amazing things in their careers. But we’re the next generation coming through and I’m here to take everything they've earned, really. Even better if I can fight them, but I really don’t think that that’s going to be in the pipeline. But I don’t give a damn.”
The deals will all be done by his manager, Brian Peters, and Teremoana is focused on only where it really matters for the fighter.
“He’ll just put people in front of me, and I’ll just keep smashing whoever’s in front of me. I believe I’ve got what it takes to beat everyone.”
But Teremoana has only been in the sport six years. He’s done terrifically well thus far, and he hasn’t had the same sparring the likes of Daniel Dubois, Moses Itauma and others have had coming through because of where he lives.
“I’ve never met these UK fellas or US fellas,” he said of the leading heavyweights. “I’m down here in Australia. We’re on the other side of the ditch, as they say. I’ve met [Joseph] Parker. He seems like a good fella. And now I’m just here to prove us Aussies are the best fighters in the world.”
He has been asked to spar with some of the bigger names, but said – so far – the timing has just not worked out.
“I’ve been invited to go on camps with Parker and [Tyson] Fury,” he said.
“It just hasn't worked out for us. Like, it’s not the right move for us with the fights that we’re going to do and just the timing and things like that. [But] I’d love it. This is my whole goal, after this fight, I want to get overseas to the US, the UK. I want to spar these blokes, get more rounds under my belt. I’m very, very inexperienced as a fighter. I only started back six years ago. And then I did my thing in the amateur scene, which gave me the most experience I’ve had. And then when it comes to the pro scene, I’ve sparred no heavyweights in the pros, really, overseas. And I know there’s a good crop of fighters in the UK, in the US. So that’s why I really want to get there and test myself against them. Because I feel like I’m the type of person, when I feel a level, I just rise. I’m like that. That’s what I’ve seen in my training overseas, in the amateurs, is I have a taste, and then I just rise to that level and above.”
That, of course, will bring in other hurdles, like fame. Already a distinguishable presence, Teremoana embraces being known because it shows what he is doing is working.
“Yeah, I am embracing it. I’m obviously going with the flow,” he said.
“That’s kind of how I put it. This wasn’t the goal that I was after, but I do know that this is a part of it. And, yeah, I’m just having fun, enjoying the journey and enjoying the ride. It’s a blessing to be able to do what I do, to be able to train every day, look after my health. Not only that, get to travel overseas, see other countries, because for me, coming from such a small island, the Cook Islands, it was never a thing. It was never even a thought that I’d be doing this type of thing. So, I’m trying to inspire or more so prove to my family that we can do things if we set our minds to it, and we can excel if we choose to, instead of just living day to day, which was my plan, to be honest. Like, that was my plan for my life, to just make enough money so I can just survive. But now, as I’m getting older, as I’m continuing down this path, my goal is now to inspire the next generation to show them that we can do more if we really put our heart and soul into it.”
Teremoana is choosing his lane rather than staying in it, although he is aware that – at a certain level – being a celebrity can be burdensome.
“That’s something I’m not so much a fan of as well,” he admitted. “But I don't know how to explain it. When I go down to the local restaurant or pub, some people recognize me, and it obviously takes energy to interact with these people. A lot of times it’s just all politics, too. Like, ‘why aren’t you fighting this person?’ ‘Why aren’t you fighting this person?’ So it obviously takes energy, but I’m very happy they know who I am. Like, they know the name, Teremoana. They’re coming up to me now and saying, ‘Oh, are you Teremoana, that boxer?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah.’ To me, just hearing the name is success. I don’t care so much about the fame, but I understand in the sport of boxing, we need the exposure to get those bigger fights, to, I want to be a worldwide fighter so people around the world know who I am. That’s the goal. And my whole goal is to spread the name around the world, which I think I’m doing a good job so far. It’s just the life I’ve chosen now. And I’m just enjoying the journey and trying to rub off on the people that I speak to.”
And for Teremoana, the importance is not just in his heavyweight story but of spreading the word. He took his grandfather’s name so that it would live on and he represents the Cook Islands with great pride.
He does that, in part, by sharing the culture when he fights.
“I’m not a fan of attention,” he continued. “But my job, when it comes to boxing, is boxing and fighting. But the whole reason I’m boxing and fighting is to represent my family.
“And I’m of Australian and Cook Island descent. And I really represent my Cook Island culture. So my culture, the Cook Islands are only a small nation in the Pacific, it’s about 15,000 population. That’s why I'm very, very loud and proud of who we are, because we’re such a small little dot. Yet our hearts are so big. And I really love my family. And I love culture as well.”
That means he performs a Tilla on fight night, an equivalent to the Maori’s Haka, a type of war dance made famous by the New Zealand rugby team.
“It’s not so much ceremonial, but I really love doing it for my family,” he went on. “The whole reason I’m there is to represent my family. And I know that they will have a smile on their face when they see me doing this thing. And not only that, the world has never seen this before. Like, I’m pretty sure most people have never heard of the Cook Islands and yet there’s this guy over here knocking people out and then doing this Tilla. It’s a war. For me, it’s a proclamation. I proclaim I’m the warrior after I’ve defeated you. And then I stamp my mark, my authority that I’m the champion.”
