NEW YORK CITY – Before George Kambosos Jnr gets the chance to thrill the Australian fans in attendance at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Teremoana Teremoana warmed up the crowd with a power-punching exhibition.

The 27-year-old Teremoana, 8-0 (8 KOs), had an explosive US debut, knocking out the previously unbeaten Aleem Whitfield at 2 minutes, 28 seconds of the first round Saturday on the Richardson Hitchins-Kambosos undercard in New York City.

Teremoana, a 2024 Australian Olympian from Brisbane, showed off impressive agility and combination punching in the victory, as the 6ft 6ins fighter walked down his 6ft opponent, chopping down with right hands as Whitfield looked to land home run right hands.

The crowd was into the event from the opening bell, as pockets of fans tried to turn the fight into an Australian Football League match, chanting “Aussie Aussie Aussie!”

Teremoana gave them something to get excited about as he timed a right hand that landed on the chin of Whitfield, 9-1 (6 KOs), which hurt him for the first time. 

As Whitfield retreated to a neutral corner, Teremoana unleashed a three-punch combination started by a left hook – and concluded by a right hand that landed well after Whitfield’s nervous system had taken a siesta – prompting an immediate stoppage by referee David Fields.

The fight was put together quickly by Matchroom Boxing after Teremoana’s bout against Jaipal Singh on the Jai Opetaia-Claudio Squeo card last week in Australia was canceled.

Teremoana exhibited a sense of composure and comfort on this big stage, introducing himself to the New York crowd by dancing to the ring, and then capped off his night by performing a Haka dance at center ring.

Whitfield, though previously unbeaten, bore no resemblance to his photo on Boxrec, as the 246lbs fighter from Geneva, New York, was fighting roughly 80lbs over the weight at which he turned pro back in 2009. Whitfield, who started his career as a super middleweight, was off for nearly 10 years, between 2015 and 2024, due in large part to legal issues, before returning to the ring as a heavyweight.

Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.