Takeru Segawa earned the respect of millions when he soldiered on and valiantly took Superlek Kiatmoo9’s punishing leg kicks for five full rounds without quitting.
However, his courageous act came with serious health implications.
‘The Natural Born Crusher’ could barely walk, let alone stand as the scorecards were being read in his unanimous decision loss to ‘The Kicking Machine’ at ONE 165 last year.
The aftermath was even more brutal, as Takeru shared a mangled and bruised up mess that was his left leg. The Japanese superstar also suffered a fractured knee which left him unable to train for half a year.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
In a recent interview with ONE, Takeru admitted his fight with Superlek caused irreversible damage:
“Regarding skill and technique, everyone has told me that the most obvious shortcoming I exhibited was my inability to check those leg kicks. That is true, but the injury to my leg has not fully healed even now.”
That said, the former K-1 multi-division world champion made sure not to overextend himself in training for the biggest of his life this coming Sunday at ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang. He added:
“So instead of forcing my leg through the wringer again, I have been thinking of how to effectively adjust to having to fight with my leg in less than a fully functional state.”
Takeru’s passion for fighting burns as bright as ever ahead of Rodtang clash
The moment Takeru has been waiting for so long is finally here, as he’ll share the circle with Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE 172 on March 23 at Saitama Super Arena.
The Team Vasileus superstar always seeks greater challenges to prove that he is indeed one of the best strikers in the world.
In the same interview with ONE, Takeru admitted that getting his dream matchup has reignited his passion for competition:
“I think this shift in how I mentally and emotionally prime myself for the fight was instrumental in earning a victory against Thant Zin. I am in a similar mental state preparing for the fight against Rodtang, so I feel that the newly rediscovered joy in fighting will bear fruit once again.”
ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang is available via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.
Edited by Harvey Leonard
