‘I Felt Like I Had Died’ – Takeru Opens Up About Devastating Loss To Superlek Ahead Of Super-Fight With Rodtang

Takeru “The Natural Born Crusher” Segawa is using the sting of his most crushing defeat to help him prepare for his long-awaited blockbuster super-fight against Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon.

The global superstars will throw down in a monumental flyweight kickboxing clash in the main event of ONE 172 at Japan’s Saitama Super Arena on Sunday, March 23.

The upcoming fight is more than a year in the making.

Takeru was originally slated to battle the Thai in his ONE debut in January 2024 at ONE 165, but when Rodtang withdrew due to injury, reigning ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 stepped in.

That night, in front of an adoring Tokyo crowd, Takeru displayed awe-inspiring grit and toughness over the course of five thrilling rounds, but he ultimately dropped the decision to Superlek in one of the most electrifying kickboxing fights in recent memory.

The Japanese hero was devastated but told onefc.com that he found a silver lining:

“I felt like I had died after my loss to Superlek. I won’t sugarcoat how devastating it felt, but at the same time, I felt liberated from any undue pressure.

“In a way, I feel that I could approach fights with a more relaxed and sanguine manner.”

The war with Superlek took a toll on Takeru both physically and mentally.

As a result of the dozens of brutal leg kicks he took in that fight, “The Natural Born Crusher” was unable to walk for months and couldn’t train for half a year.

His time on the sidelines, though, only fueled his competitive fire even more as he slowly worked his way back into a full training schedule:

“Being unable to move not only undermines you physically but mentally, too. In the end, I managed to pull through because I still felt a very strong desire to get back into the win column raging inside me.

“This hunger made me slowly get back to training – doing whatever my body allows and taking it slowly day by day. I am a very competitive person, so I could not allow myself to languish for long. At one point, I found myself hitting the mitts while standing almost fully on one leg. When I was not quite able to start kicking, I just worked on my punches.”

By September of last year, after an arduous recovery process, Takeru returned to action with a sensational knockout of talented Myanmar phenom Thant Zin.

With the loss to Superlek still fresh in his mind, the 33-year-old said that he couldn’t have waited a day longer to fight again:

“As soon as I got back to training, I was already full sail ahead in preparing for my next fight. After you lose, it is difficult to find joy in anything because the sting and humiliation of defeat linger for months on end.

“Every time I lose, I feel eager to get back into the ring immediately and avenge my loss.”

Takeru Explains Key Change In Training For ONE 172

A decorated former three-division K-1 Champion who has long been regarded as one of the planet’s top pound-for-pound strikers, Takeru Segawa is still learning important lessons about the fight game.

Notably, his loss to Superlek Kiatmoo9 led to a key change in his training and preparations:

“The most significant learning I garnered from that fight was that I needed to change my approach to priming my body for the fight. Since that fight, I think that I am about three times more meticulous and attentive to caring for my body.”

Indeed, Takeru looked to be in peak form when he returned to action against Thant Zin.

As he now prepares for Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE 172, he’s dialing back the intensity just enough to ensure that he can perform at his very best on March 23:

“I had always sought to push myself to the limit in every fight camp leading up to all my fights, but at this age, I feel that it may not be the best approach to preparing for my fight anymore.

“After the fight with Superlek, I realized that pushing myself to a breaking point does not necessarily prime myself to fight at my best. Therefore, the Superlek fight made me re-evaluate my approach to optimizing my physical performance.”