Takeru explains decision to announce final match as a fighter: "The time for me to be able to do that is kind of shortening"

Takeru Segawa's retirement announcement wasn't born from physical decline – it came from the sobering reality that peak performance has an expiration date.

The 34-year-old Japanese kickboxing icon revealed during the ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri post-event press conference on Sunday, Nov. 16, that his decision to make his next bout his final competitive appearance stems from recognizing that his window to perform at the highest level is closing, not because his body is breaking down.

"The talk about retirement, it wasn't really because I feel that my body is breaking or getting weaker. I just feel that currently, and I trained a lot of things, I changed a lot of things in my training leading up to this," the former three-division K-1 champion shared. "But I feel that currently, I can keep myself at the strongest and best Takeru that there ever was, but the time for me to be able to do that is kind of shortening."

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Takeru scored four knockdowns across two rounds, showcasing the speed, shot selection, and relentless pressure that made him one of Japan's biggest striking superstars during his legendary K-1 run to earn a devastating second-round TKO of Denis Puric at Tokyo's Ariake Arena.

The vintage display also earned him a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

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Jacob Smith thinks Takeru wouldn't stand a chance against Rodtang in hotly tipped sequel

English striking sensation Jacob Smith offered his prediction on how things will unfold if Takeru and Rodtang run it back on martial arts' biggest stage.

Per the former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title challenger, Rodtang wouldn't face too many problems to claim another win over 'Natural Born Krusher.'

"Rodtang ends him again with ease," Smith commented on a post uploaded by ONE Championship that captured Takeru's winning moment against Puric at ONE 173.

Fight fans who missed the pay-per-view card live can follow this link to purchase the PPV ticket replay for ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri.

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Edited by Aziel Karthak