Teremoana Teremoana told American rival DeAndre Savage to let “his fists do the talking” when the two Heavyweights collide on the Gold Coast in Australia this Wednesday – live on DAZN’s Kayo Sports.
The undefeated Olympian Teremoana (11-0, 11 KOs) faces his toughest test to date when he collides with the Michigan knockout artist Savage (11-1, 11 KOs) at The Star Gold Coast.
And speaking at a lively press conference earlier today, Teremoana – who spoke of his intentions to one day become a World Champion – warned his opponent that he expects to do what he has done to every fighter he has fought so far in his professional career and stop him inside the distance.
The ‘bad guy’ of Australia boxing Michael Zerafa is back, meanwhile, as he looks ahead to facing dangerous South American Alejandro Ortiz. But the Middleweight came under fire from Savage’s trainer Tony Harrison, a former WBC Super Welterweight Champion, who called him out for a fight.
You can watch the Press Conference in full in the video player below and find a link to photos. Here is a selection of the best quotes here:
EDDIE HEARN, MATCHROOM SPORT CHAIRMAN
"The man to my right [Teremoana Teremoana]. I don't think you guys have seen anything like this before in Australia. I think there is legitimately a chance for you to have a long reign as a Heavyweight World Champion. He has got the size, got the power, got the personality. And this is the first big step up really on Wednesday night against DeAndre Savage a very, very good American Heavyweight with a very good brain in the corner in Tony Harrison, that you guys know.
"The guy just further down on the right, Michael Zerafa, have I've known a long long time that was a massive signing for Matchroom Boxing. And I love it because some hate him, some love him. I don't care. Everyone's calling him out, Tony (Harrison) even down there, Chris Eubank Jr. But he's got a big, big fight against Ortiz, who's a huge, huge puncher. Jazzy [Jasmine Parr] against Jemma [Peart]. Two best friends will be best of enemies on Wednesday night, punching lumps out of each other in what I think will be a thriller. Jack Bowen a great young fighter as well, and Omar [El-Abdallah].
"For Teremoana, the journey is for us to map out and for him to stay focused. When you step up and fight guys like the DeAndre, both guys have got huge knockout percentages. I mean, this guy never been past the second round. Most of his wins have come in the first round. So these guys over there want to take him into deep waters. It's very difficult to do when you got someone with a power and the speed of Teremoana. But you know, the plan is to continue to box him around the world. He's boxed at Madison Square Garden, he's boxed in Monaco, he's boxed all over the world. But this is the place with Kayo Sports and Fox that we can really build him. And like I said, you know, you've got some great Heavyweights. Justis Huni, I think can go on and fight for the World Championship as well.
"But you know in this guy I see something different. I see an opportunity to bring Heavyweight World Championships to Australia. And if we do that, the sport will change you forever. But first things first, a big old lump down there in the DeAndre who can really fight.
"On Michael, the good news is, is that everybody calls out Michael Zerafa, What I like about this fight is after the disappointment of the fight, which is with history. Michael came back and said, I want a real fight.
Actually, this fight was supposed to be a bit of a gimme fight for him to come back to. And he said, no, you know, I want to prove to people that I'm for real and to prove to people that I want to try and position myself to fight for the World Championship. Ortiz is dangerous, dangerous fight. And you know, the kind of names that are calling Michael out. I know that he's going to do numbers. I know that he's going to put bums on seats. Like I said, some tune in to watch him get beat, some tune in to watch him win. I don't care. They're going to be tuning in. And that was a big signing. But he's got a real fight on Wednesday."
MICHAEL ZERAFA
"I mean 35 have tried and 35 fell short.I mean they had the same mindset he did and come up too short. So good luck to him. Like I said, we chose him for a reason. And you know, he's got 25 knockouts, but he hasn't fought anyone like me. He's confident though. I mean, of course I showed my respect, but he'll find that pretty quick. You know, there's levels to this game and he's not at my level.
"Of course it's it's been a big year, a difficult year for you at times,it was tough. But like I said, in the gym, surrounded myself around the right people. I'm super grateful, obviously, with Eddie Hearn and the team, and I really want to go out there and make a statement. This is a clean slate, and I want to prove why I'm one of the best in the world.
"My dream is to be a World Champion, you know, and I've fallen short, you know, I've got a great team now. And anyone that's going to move me in that direction to getting a World Title, if it's if it's [Tony] Harrison, it's Harrison. If it's whoever they put in front of me. And like I said, it gets me to the to that world total. That's the goal.
"I've got an opponent in front of me. I'll never look past that. And then after that we can do what we've got to do. I said, I want to be a World Champion. If he [Harrison] can bring that, I'll fight him next."
ALEJANDRO ORTIZ (via translator)
"He [Michael Zerafa] has 25 knockouts from 26 wins. He's coming here to finish this early knockout. He's going to do the best and the best that he that is knockout in the fight."
TONY HARRISON (Trainer of DeAndre Savage)
"Hey. Mike [Zerafa]. You had countless of conversations. You get up here in front of the camera, and I just want you to say with your chest, please get chest out when you're talking. Say what we've been talking about. You said you're fighting me. I said I'll fight you. It's sometimes you for you. You find two guys that make it easy to make a fight. Me and Mike has made it easy to make a fight. We shook hands. We've crossed the T’s. All Eddie gotta do is I. And hopefully he's victorious because I love us. This is my second home, mate.
"My guy Dre [Savage] took a defeat within one of his last fights. But for me, I think that's kind of a good thing and a bad thing. He's not fighting to impress him or he already has a loss, and now he can just go out there and fight freely. He knows what I expect from him. He know what I demand from him. He know what Flint demand from him. He knows super bad academy demand from him. And I just think what the guy who hasn't went past two rounds. I think he got so many questions.
"Eddie, I love you know. You know what I love about you, Eddie? This is when your guys get in trouble. Like, you look like you drowning when they get in trouble in the fight I'm talking about. You look like you in deep water and you do not know how to swim. And I think Teremoana is not going past two rounds, not even probably getting hit. I think all the questions are for him. I don't think the question is are for Dre. I think Dre has everything. Dre is 300 pounds solid, and I mean, if he hits you, it's not a baby hitting you.
"Dre has been around, man. He's been around for a long time. He's been in a bunch of camps. And when you come to Superbad, I think the thing that we train is the mind.I think we train the mind to say that if you would take the fight, you're supposed to win the fight. It's just not take the fight to to get a cheque. I think we take the fights to win them. And I think with Heavyweights, man, you want fight away from being top dog. You want to fight away from being a millionaire. You want to find a way from from life changing money.
"And I think Termoana sitting in the driver's seat, he's comfortable. He's very comfortable. Eddie need to know what he got on his hands. I think Eddie needs to know what's going to happen when it's in the front. I think Eddie. Is going to see it."
DEANDRE SAVAGE
"I'm going to lay him [Teremoana] down. Well, first of all, I want to say, you know, thanks to Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, my manager, Eugene and Tony for training me, you know, getting me here to this, to this point. You know, I'm here to take care of business, man. Come a long way from Flint, Michigan, and you know it. Don't stop here. You know I'm here to compete. I'm here to do what I do. And that's what I knock out. You know what I'm saying? I'm here to tell him.. You haven't been passed the second round. You know, he got experience, but we got we got ten ounce gloves on. You know, it's a different ballgame. And I'm going to touch him. I'm here to touch his chin, man. I'm going to go test him. Down goes Frazier. This this fight is not going to distance, man. Flint, Michigan."
TEREMOANA TEREMOANA
"Look at that. Pretty far over there. Like.Looks pretty good, pretty sharp. And, yeah, I just come here to do a job. I trained six days a week, twice a day to fight. So when we come to like this, I’m ready to go. Ready to rumble. And Savage is going to find out this Wednesday.
"They said I haven't gone past two rounds. Actually I have, I would say anyone who's come to fight me hasn't made it out of two rounds. And the only person that's went three rounds as ran away like a cat who's the gold medalist?
"As everyone knows, he ran away, ran from me, and he's the only one that's gone through round. So that's all I can say about the two rounds. The fact that he says he's coming here to knock you out. I think there's a bit more energy coming from his coach. I don't know if it's the Americans, I think they really like their voice.. They just talk too much, to be honest. Let your fists do the talking.
"I think it's going to go in between one and 10 rounds because it's scheduled for ten rounds. You know, I've seen this ten round fight against Brendan Moore, and I've got to give him respect. He's got good movement. I like the way he paces himself for pro Heavyweight fighter. Like, I'm not taking this guy easy either. I think 300 pounds. He said he's a big fella. I don't know if he's pretty solid like Tony was saying. I think I'm pretty solid. I think I'm about 260 pounds. Pure muscle. Pure prettiness. But yeah, I'm just here to do a job basically. And yeah, I'm just so proud and so happy for everyone to be here today.
"Like without Eddie being by my side I wouldn't be able to have this platform position where I want to get I want to be a World Champion. And I'm going to get to Savage this Wednesday because he's my next step."
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