Takeru Segawa has vowed to return to action as a better and stronger fighter.
The Japanese kickboxing legend has been putting in the work in the United States ahead of his highly anticipated comeback fight against Black Panther, which goes down at ONE Friday Fights 81 on September 27 at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.
Although Takeru's home gym is at Vasileus Gym in Tokyo, he often flies to California and trains at Boxing Works ahead of fights. Bryan Popejoy's gym is also the stable of Jackie Buntan and former ONE atomweight kickboxing and interim Muay Thai world champion Janet Todd.
Takeru Segawa wrote on Instagram that his training camp is far from easy. Nevertheless, he knows the hard work will ultimately pay off when he faces off against Black Panther in their flyweight kickboxing showcase in Bangkok.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
"Fight camp in Los Angeles 🇺🇸🔥 I'm getting tired, though. It's fulfilling to be able to train martial arts every day. I will return home stronger on September 27th. @boxingworks"
Takeru is arguably the most successful kickboxer of his generation, with multiple world titles and 43 wins under his name.
His biggest achievement, though, is capturing the K-1 Kickboxing super bantamweight, featherweight, and super featherweight world titles.
His trifecta of kickboxing belts made him the only fighter to become a three-division world champion in the promotion's history.
Superlek praises Takeru Segawa's incredible tenacity in Tokyo super fight
Takeru Segawa's ONE Championship debut was bittersweet all things considered.
'The Natural Born Crusher' challenged Superlek Kiatmoo9 for the ONE flyweight kickboxing world title in front of his hometown fans at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
Despite a near-finish in the third round, Takeru ultimately lost to Superlek via unanimous decision and suffered multiple muscle tears in his left leg.
Superlek, who practically destroyed the Japanese megastar's leg with low kicks, told ONE Championship that he was impressed with how Takeru absorbed the punishment and came forward throughout the match:
"It looks like it burns. I was very surprised he was still standing at the end. Because every kick I threw, he didn't defend any of them. Some may be wondering, 'Why was Takeru not defending himself?' But don't forget, Takeru's lead leg is his left leg. He has to step in to punch me. He can't protect himself whenever he steps in. He sacrificed his defense to attack me."