"Rodtang was the reason" - Japanese icon Takeru admits taking on Rodtang kept his competitive fire after tough loss to Tenshin

Takeru Segawa always knew that before he could even consider hanging up his gloves for good, he had to step inside the same right with Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

The Japanese superstar made this admission ahead of his five-round flyweight kickboxing super-fight against the Thai hard-hitter in the main event of ONE 172, which takes place at the historic Saitama Super Arena on Sunday, March 23.

Retirement once crossed the thoughts of Takeru when he went head-to-head with fellow striking icon Tenshin Nasukawa in a blockbuster encounter dubbed as "The Match" in June 2022.

There, Takeru suffered a hard-fought defeat, losing a unanimous decision to Tenshin in their three-round clash.

Initially, he contemplated whether it was the end of the road for him. However, he soon realized that there was still one major name he had yet to face — Rodtang.

He said:

"When I lost at 'The Match' in 2022, I was thinking of retiring. But I decided to continue and Rodtang was the reason."

So when ONE Championship came calling in 2023, Takeru didn't hesitate to sign with the world's largest martial arts organization.

Speculation is swirling that Sunday's fight could mark the final chapter in Takeru's storied career.

With that in mind, it's safe to expect 'The Natural Bone Krusher' to leave it all in the ring in pursuit of victory in Saitama.

He added:

"While I cannot undo that loss [to Tenshin], I swore that I would beat Rodtang to redeem myself. This is the most crucial point of my career."

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Takeru enters high-stakes clash with Rodtang as underdog

An online poll conducted by the promotion this past February indicated that 63 percent of voters back Rodtang Jitmuangnon to prevail over Takeru Segawa at ONE 172.

However, many tend to overlook that the bout will be contested under kickboxing rules — the specialty of Takeru.

ONE 172 will air live worldwide through pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.