“There’s nothing to be scared of” – Superlek "not intimidated" by Takeru challenge at ONE 165

Superlek Kiatmoo9 is by no means intimidated by his next opponent.

After a stellar 2023 campaign that saw him win five straight fights and claim the ONE flyweight kickboxing world championship, ‘The Kicking Machine’ will kick off his 2024 with a showdown against perhaps the greatest pound-for-pound kickboxer in the sport’s history, Takeru Segawa.

Signing with ONE last April, Takeru will make his long-awaited debut on Sunday, Jan. 28, when he headlines ONE 165 in his home country of Japan. ‘The Natural Born Crusher’ will look to claim gold in his premiere performance as he meets reigning and defending titleholder Superlek.

Speaking with the promotion ahead of their can’t-miss clash at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena, Superlek ended any speculation that he may be feeling a bit of intimidation going up against the K-1 legend. 'The Kicking Machine’ said:

“For Takeru, I’m not intimidated by him. There are things I just need to be careful of. There’s nothing to be scared of because I don’t get scared in the ring.”

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Takeru hopes to rebook his bout with Rodtang following the clash with Superlek at ONE 165

With 43 wins in his combat sports career, Takeru Segawa holds the distinction of being the first and only fighter in K-1 history to claim world titles in three different divisions. With a win over Superlek Kiatmoo9, Takeru hopes that he can rebook a bout with his originally scheduled opponent, Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

“I’ll start with Superlek, I’ll try to beat him decisively and then I’ll look at that fight again [vs. Rodtang],” he told ONE Championship.

In September, ‘The Kicking Machine’ scored a decision victory over Rodtang in the Muay Thai Fight of the Year. However, many fight fans were convinced that ‘The Iron Man’ had done enough damage to leave Lumpinee Boxing Stadium with his hand raised.

ONE 165 airs live on Sunday, Jan. 28, via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.