“I returned to my old self” - Takeru says he turned back the clock in vintage performance against Denis Puric

Former three-division K-1 world champion Takeru Segawa believes he has rediscovered his form that made him one of the most feared striking artists over the past decade.

'Natural Born Krusher' smashed his way to a second-round TKO win over Bosnian-Canadian veteran Denis Puric in his flyweight kickboxing tiff, which was part of the star-studded ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri card inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, last Sunday, Nov. 16.

Speaking to members of the media at the post-fight press conference, the Team Vasileus martial artist – teammates with Yuki Yoza and Masaaki Noiri – revealed that he left no stone unturned during fight camp, a factor that he believes helped him bring his A-game to 'The Land of the Rising Sun' last week.

"I really switched up my training for this camp. I looked at my old fight and I changed my style to a style, really specific style tailored to ONE Championship. Looking back at my old fights, I feel like I returned to my old self," Takeru noted.

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With his knockout win over 'The Bosnian Menace', the No.2-ranked flyweight kickboxing megastar, who once enjoyed a seven-year unbeaten run in Japan, improved to 45-5 in his career.

At the same time, he returned home with a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

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Takeru says vintage performance helped him "repay the fans"

During the post-fight in-Circle interview with Mitch Chilson, an emotional Takeru broke down what the fight meant to him.

After a rough stretch in ONE Championship, where he has gone 1-2, before his victory at ONE 173, 'Natural Born Krusher' admitted he returned to Japan with redemption on his mind and to make sure fans got to witness something special from their martial arts hero.

"So, my last fight against Rodtang, I lost immediately, and I felt like I let down the fans in Japan, the fans all over the world, and there's no way I could have ended my career on a note like that," the 34-year-old shared. "So this time, I came back in a situation where I [needed] to win. I got the win, and I feel like I was able to repay the fans just a little bit."

Fans who missed any of the action can purchase the replay PPV ticket for ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri here.

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Edited by Aziel Karthak