Japanese megastar Takeru Segawa can’t contain his excitement over his upcoming five-round kickboxing super-fight with former ONE flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
The two striking titans will collide this Sunday in the main event of ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang at Saitama Super Arena on March 23 in Japan.
Part of that excitement comes from the fact that he’s marking his return to the 37,000-seat arena, a place where he’s built his legacy as one of the greatest kickboxers to ever do it.
READ: Rodtang says long-delayed clash with Takeru 'worth waiting for'
“I have fought numerous times at the Super Arena during my K-1 days, so I am excited to step back into that venue once again,” Takeru said.
Now not only will he mark his return to the place he knows so well, he’ll welcome there the man he’s wanted to fight for the longest time.
When Takeru joined ONE Championship, he always had his eyes on Rodtang. But in between Rodtang getting injured and Takeru’s own injury in his loss to Superlek, their fight was repeatedly pushed back – until now.
“I just cannot wait to fight him,” Takeru said.
“Like I said, this is what I have been gunning for, not only leading up to what ultimately turned out to be a fight against Superlek, but through the long grind of recovery. I feel nothing but excitement, and I’m preparing to meet him in the ring.”
Takeru is also confident that this fight will live up to the hype as neither man will be too defensive or give an inch to his opponent.
But if Rodtang gets complacent, “The Natural Born Krusher” has the perfect style to bring out the best of his opponent come fight night.
“I did notice that he does resort to fighting defensively at times, too. That said, aggression and forward momentum are the hallmarks of my style, so I aim to impose my style on him and hope that he would reciprocate in kind,” he said.
“Even if he chooses to fight in a defensive manner, I have been preparing for such a scenario in my training camp.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
