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Japanese kickboxing icon and former K-1 champion 'The Natural Born Crusher' Takeru Segawa has fond memories of training in Thailand in the buildup to his ONE Championship debut last January.
Takeru took on reigning ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9 in the main event of ONE 165 in Tokyo. Takeru traveled to Bangkok, Thailand, to train with former ONE featherweight kickboxing king Superbon at his Superbon Training Camp to prepare for the Thai warrior.
Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Takeru said he had a blast training with the Thai kickboxing icon and learned a lot of new things.
'The Natural Born Crusher' said:
"I learned techniques for high kicks. He was friendly, kind, and taught me various techniques. He's an awesome guy!"
Unfortunately for Takeru, things didn't go exactly as planned in his fight with Superlek. The 32-year-old lost a wide five-round unanimous decision to 'The Kicking Machine'. He suffered a devastating injury as well after Superlek mangled his lead leg with a torrent of bludgeoning low kicks.
Needless to say, Takeru learned a lot from training with Superbon and fighting Superlek. He looks to make an epic comeback soon, and it seems like an opponent is already waiting for him.
When will Takeru fight Rodtang?
'The Natural Born Crusher' Takeru Segawa of Japan and 'The Iron Man' Rodtang Jitmuangnon have been on a collision course since the former joined ONE Championship in 2023. Fans have clamored for a showdown between the two elite flyweights.
Takeru was originally scheduled to face Rodtang in January before the latter got injured and Superlek had to step in. Now, it seems a super-fight between the Japanese fighter and the Thai star is brewing once again.
Rodtang recently posted a faceoff photo of him and Takeru with the caption:
"Are you ready to meet me? I'm always waiting for you."
Check out the Instagram post below:
