“It is difficult to find joy in anything” - Takeru admits his patience was tested after lengthy recovery from knee injury

Japanese kickboxing legend Takeru Segawa took a while to return to action after his ONE Championship debut loss because of injury. It was a stretch that he said severely tested his patience.

'The Natural Born Crusher' made his promotional debut in January last year, vying for the ONE flyweight kickboxing world title against reigning divisional king Superlek Kiatmoo9.

He put a gallant stand, laboring through the punishing leg kicks of 'The Kicking Machine' and extending the champion all the way to five full rounds before losing by unanimous decision.

The defeat left Takeru's legs badly bruised up, compounded by issues in his knee and thigh muscle that required prolonged recovery, which he said was not easy.

The Yonago City native shared what he went through in an interview with ONE Championship, highlighting how the layoff saw him exercise a lot of patience.

He said:

"I was ready to get back into the ring immediately. In total, it took me about six or seven months to fully return to training. I could not wait around any longer. I mean, it ultimately took about eight months to get back into the ring."

Takeru went to say:

"After you lose, it is difficult to find joy in anything because the sting and humiliation of defeat linger for months on end."

Takeru, however, bounced back in a grand way in his return in September, scoring an impressive second-round knockout victory over rising Burmese star Thant Zin.

Takeru says he is going to take a wiser approach against Rodtang in superfight

Armed with the lessons from his ONE debut loss and the time he spent recovering from injury, Takeru Segawa said he is taking a wiser approach for his scheduled superfight against Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon this month in Japan.

The two martial arts icon will battle in a much-awaited flyweight kickboxing match at ONE 172 on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena. It is the headlining match of the stacked event, marking the return of ONE Championship to Japan for the second straight year.

In an interview with the promotion, Takeru shared how he is approaching his upcoming fight, particularly how he is being mindful not to overextend himself and leave himself open to injuries.

He said:

"Previously, I've been training while being careful not to push beyond my limits, adjusting and paying attention to avoid injuries."

Rodtang was supposed to be the opponent of Takeru in his promotional debut in January last year, but the former had to withdraw because of an injury.

ONE 172 is available live on pay-per-view via watch.onefc.com.