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For the first time since the official announcement of their ONE 165 duel, reigning ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 and challenger Takeru Segawa have come face-to-face during their recent press conference and open workouts in Tokyo.
The two kickboxing stars, along with ONE Championship Chairman and CEO, Chatri Sityodtong, were present during the event. But the promotional newcomer has felt a jolt in the buildup to this world championship bout and posted a few snaps on his Instagram account.
The former three-division K-1 champion captioned the post with: (as translated in English)
“Today is a press conference and open practice. Seeing my opponent and the belt in person made me even more excited. I will definitely win on January 28th and become ONE Champion. Please provide some support!”
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Takeru was originally scheduled to face ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a five-round kickboxing superfight, but ‘The Iron Man’ begged off because of an injury he suffered.
Thankfully, Superlek accepted the short notice call up from the promotion and stepped in for Rodtang’s place to face Takeru. The Kiatmoo9 Gym representative has also put his 26-pound golden belt on the line.
Takeru Segawa wants to be triumphant in front of the home crowd despite the opponent shuffle
With the full support of his fellow countrymen inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo for his upcoming debut under the world’s largest martial arts organization, Takeru is expected to put on a great performance that would give him the best chance of becoming the division’s newest king on January 28.
He will do this with a three-week adjustment and tweak his fight approach because of the opponent change and the massive difference between Rodtang and Superlek’s fighting styles. The former is more of an aggressive fighter, while the latter is more of a technical and tactical one. Regardless, Takeru is going to gun for the world title.
