Takeru Segawa was set to face Black Panther later this year booked for ONE Friday Fights 81 on September 27. It is reported that Thailand’s Black Panther has been forced to withdraw from this match.
Black Panther Injured Against Takeru Segawa
The Japanese-born striker Takeru Segawa is a well-decorated athlete in kickboxing. The 33-year-old has captured three weight class titles in K-1, and defended one, he has earned three K-1 Grand Prix world championships. Well-known as an aggressive knockout striker, he took his talents on the road to ONE Championship, mainly to face the Muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
Due to an injury, Rodtang withdrew from their scheduled fight and Takeru was then scheduled to face the top-ranked pound-for-pound Muay Thai fighter Superlek Kiatmoo9. After five rounds of action, Takeru could barely walk after the kicking onslaught from Superlek.
Next, Takeru Segawa was set to face the streaking 24-year-old Black Panther who is a Muay Thai fighter who has never competed in kickboxing. According to insider sources, Black Panther has suffered an injury and is withdrawing from the fight. No official opponent has been named to replace him just yet for ONE Friday Fights 81.
“According to credible sources, Black Panther has withdrawn from his fight against Takeru at ONE Friday Fights 81 on September 27. A replacement has already been secured and will be announced soon.”
Speaking in an interview, Takeru explained his determination to succeed in fight sports. He said:
“I had always dreamed of becoming a Kickboxing Champion when I was a child. I was watching K-1 on TV, and I saw a lot of karate practitioners, and I admired them. I thought if I did karate, maybe I could enter K-1. I always wanted to do kickboxing, but there were no kickboxing gyms in the neighborhood when I was a kid, so I started karate when I was in second grade…
After making up his mind and training for years, he continued:
“I saved all the money myself to go to Thailand. My mother was kind of strict. Since I was a kid, I was told that if I had something I wanted to do, I had to do it on my own – otherwise, it meant nothing.