Takeru Segawa (known mononymously as Takeru) is a former Japanese kickboxer. He held the ONE Interim Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship and K-1 titles at super featherweight, featherweight and super bantamweight, becoming the only three-weight champion in K-1 history. Many observers regard him as a generational talent and one of the greatest kickboxers of the sport's modern era, alongside his compatriot Tenshin Nasukawa. He most recently competed in ONE Championship.
Early life
Takeru was born in 1991 and was named after Yamato Takeru by his father, an amateur historian. He became interested in kickboxing after watching Andy Hug win the 1996 K-1 Grand Prix. After leaving high school in 2008, he saved money from part-time jobs and travelled to Thailand to train full-time and gain amateur experience. He later relocated to Tokyo to train at Team Dragon under Kensaku Maeda.
Championship career
Takeru became K-1 Super Bantamweight champion in 2015 and K-1 Featherweight champion in 2016, the first two-weight champion in K-1 history. In 2018 he won the K-1 Super Featherweight title, completing the set of three weight championships. Combat Press ranked him among the top ten pound-for-pound kickboxers for several years, and at the top of the list for a period, before he took an extended break in 2022 to recover from injuries.
Fighting style
Takeru is known for a high volume and variety of front leg kicks, including push kicks, snap kicks, round kicks and head kicks. His main offensive approach uses the lead leg to push opponents toward the ropes, after which he attacks with right hooks to the body and stepping right knees. Analysts note that his kicking style leaves him exposed on one leg, which he addresses partly through low kicks and rear leg knees against southpaw opponents.