Hearn wants to accelerate the 28-year-old’s development with two fights this year and four or five more before putting him in with a world heavyweight champion.
“I would like to have two fights this year, definitely. And, you know, going into 2027, saying the back end of that year we want to fight for the World Heavyweight Championship,” Hearn said after the fight. “But he needs another four or five fights before he’s in those kind of fights. And he needs someone that can take him five or six rounds.”
Fitting that schedule together requires Teremoana to remain active. A compact timeframe leaves little margin for injuries, postponements or lengthy breaks between training camps.
The larger question is who those opponents will be and how they move Teremoana into position for a championship opportunity.
Hearn mentioned Brandon Moore as a possible next opponent. Moore went 10 rounds with Savage last year. A fight at that level does little to explain how Teremoana reaches the front of the heavyweight line.
“I think we might fight him next, Brandon Moore,” Hearn said. “We have really got to find someone. It’s so frustrating in Australia because no one wants to fight him.”
Unless Teremoana becomes a mandatory challenger, there is no guarantee a heavyweight champion gives him a voluntary title defense in 2027. Sanctioning body obligations and more lucrative options can leave contenders waiting.
Hearn will eventually need fights that move Teremoana up the rankings and put him in position for an eliminator or mandatory spot. Simply accumulating another four or five wins won’t guarantee a title opportunity.
Hearn recognizes that the competition needs to step up.
“Unfortunately they’re probably going to be much, much more dangerous opposition because we can’t afford to just keep stopping everybody in the first and second round,” he said.
Teremoana’s power made the early stages of his career simple. The next phase presents a completely different challenge. Hearn has set late 2027 as his target, but he hasn’t explained how Teremoana will get into position for the title shot.
