“Achieve a kind of closure” - Takeru looks back on his rivalry with Tenshin as megafight with Rodtang looms 

Takeru Segawa looked back on one of the biggest rivalries of his career before starting a new one with Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

'The Natural Born Krusher' will finally get his dream match with 'The Iron Man' in the curtain closer of the blockbuster ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang this Sunday, March 23, at Japan's iconic Saitama Super Arena.

The magnitude of Takeru's super fight with Rodtang has stirred up some old memories, particularly his previous rivalry with fellow Japanese superstar Tenshin Nasukawa.

The former K-1 multi-division world champion shared in a ONE Championship interview:

"This also applied to when I fought Tenshin [Nasukawa] but I had stepped into that fight having decided that I would retire in case of a loss. Yet, I continued to strive to reach the top of the world, hoping to avenge my loss to Tenshin."

Takeru and Tenshin faced off in 'The Match' in 2022, which ended in a unanimous decision win for the latter. Now, Takeru believes beating Rodtang will be the culmination of his life's work and further grow his legacy. The 33-year-old kickboxing icon added:

"I obviously cannot avenge it against Tenshin now but I felt that earning a victory over Rodtang, who gave Tenshin all he could handle in their fight, would help me achieve a kind of closure. For that reason, I pushed myself beyond my limit to tap into 120 percent, 130 percent of my physical capacity to face Rodtang."

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Takeru reveals he nearly retired after losing ONE debut to Superlek

Takeru sustained significant injuries to his left leg in his unanimous decision loss to Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 165 last year.

In the same interview with ONE, 'The Natural Born Krusher' admitted it got to a point where he considered retiring:

"Since there was such heavy damage, I wasn't sure if I would be able to stand in the ring again. That's what I was thinking immediately after the fight. But now that I've recovered, and I'm getting better, I want to get back in the ring as soon as possible."

Thankfully, Takeru recovered and showcased his warrior spirit in his bounce-back win over Thant Zin at ONE Friday Fights 81. The Japanese striker will look to carry that momentum in arguably the biggest fight of his life against Rodtang.

Don't miss this historical showdown at ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang by purchasing the global PPV via watch.onefc.com.