Takeru Opens Up After Knockout Victory Over Rodtang, Wins ONE Kickboxing World Championship Before Retirement

Japanese striking legend Takeru Segawa knocked out Thai fighter Rodtang Jitmuangnon in the fifth round to win the ONE Championship interim flyweight kickboxing world title at ONE Samurai 1, held at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on April 29, before retiring from professional fighting.

Following the match, the 34-year-old Takeru shared his emotions: "Today marks the final day of my fighting career, but to be honest, I don't want to stop because of my passion for the art of combat. All I can say is that I'm very excited." He continued, "At 34 years old, I never imagined I could still be this motivated. I thought my body might give out, but with support from so many people, I've been able to continue fighting until now. Ultimately, boss Chatri arranged this championship match for me, which completely transformed my motivation for this final fight. So I want to thank my team, Wann, Chatri, and everyone involved."

Regarding his final fight with Rodtang, Takeru expressed gratitude: "Actually, even after I knocked out Rodtang before, he still accepted this rematch. Thank you so much. Without Rodtang, we wouldn't have had such an amazing farewell match." He explained his strategy: "I intended to fight cautiously, but whenever I visualized the bout beforehand, I couldn't help but imagine an explosive fight, no matter how hard I tried. Before the match, I focused on carefully wearing down my opponent, thinking back to my strongest fighting style. Because it was against Rodtang, I wanted to give everything, but I remembered to carefully exhaust him first before attacking. I pushed myself fully to do that. Ultimately, I wanted to dedicate this victory to everyone and give this belt to everyone."