Rodtang Jitmuangnon was heartbroken when he had to pull out of his initial fight with Japanese kickboxing megastar Takeru Segawa.
While fans all over the world, and Takeru himself, were also disappointed, Rodtang said there was no one more down than him. He was looking forward to proving that he’s better than the man considered one of the best pound-for-pound strikers in the world.
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“Since Takeru got into ONE, he’s been calling for me. I’m glad that a superstar like Takeru demands and wants to fight with me since he got into ONE,” Rodtang said.
“I was ready to answer since his first call, but things went wrong because I was injured. This fight, I’ll put my 100 percent into it. He’ll get to fight me as he wishes,” he added.
“I was very disappointed that it had to be cancelled last year. I was supposed to fight with him for the first time back then. And it disappointed the fans worldwide. I wasn’t very happy about that.”
Now, he has the perfect chance to make up for it. They’ll tangle in a five-round kickboxing super-fight at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 inside Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
“Now, there is another chance I’ve been waiting for, to meet him,” he said.
“It’d be great if the fans believe in us. I’ll make you all proud on the 23rd. Fighting with Takeru is going to be so entertaining. You won’t be disappointed. It’s worth waiting for.”
While Takeru eventually lost to Rodtang’s replacement, Superlek Kiatmoo9, there’s no shame because the latter is a two-sport, two-division ONE World Champion.
Superlek fought a great fight, blasting away on Takeru’s leg for most of the bout. But the Japanese fighter still showed toughness. He stood tall until the end and even hurt the pound-for-pound great at times.
“How I see him hasn’t changed,” Rodtang said.
“He is still Takeru, the best and the most dangerous fighter, but what made him lose was due to the minimal guard. And we need to accept that Superlek was so well-prepared, even though he was my replacement.”
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