“I could finally do what I wanted to do” – Takeru on finding his true calling after entering a kickboxing gym for the first time

Japanese kickboxing superstar Takeru Segawa is about a week away from making his ONE Championship debut, as he will face Superlek Kiatmoo9 for the ONE flyweight kickboxing world title at ONE 165. Fans will witness a match for the ages inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on January 28, as 'The Natural Born Crusher' challenges 'The Kicking Machine' for his kickboxing throne.

Superlek is one of the craftiest and most dynamic strikers in both Muay Thai and kickboxing today. Meanwhile, the hype surrounding Takeru is more than warranted, as he is the only three-division world champion in the history of K-1 kickboxing. Add those on top of the fact that this contest will be a five-round world title kickboxing bout, and fans in Tokyo, Japan, will more than get their money's worth.

Ahead of his bout with 'The Kicking Machine,' the Japanese superstar spoke about his humble beginnings in the sport and how he has grown to love it. He told ONE:

“I found a kickboxing gym and practiced there for the first time, and I saw I could finally do what I wanted to do. I remember I felt very happy about it.”

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Takeru admits that it's his childhood dream to become a kickboxing world champion

The long road to greatness truly started early for Takeru. He admitted that it was his long-standing dream of becoming a kickboxing world champion that pushed him to take on karate as a child.

He told ONE:

“I had always dreamed of becoming a kickboxing champion when I was a child. I was watching K-1 on TV, and I saw a lot of karate practitioners, and I admired them. I thought if I did karate, maybe I could enter K-1.”

ONE 165 will air live on Sunday, January 28, via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.