is a Japanese kickboxer. He is the former K-1 Super Featherweight champion, K-1 Featherweight champion and K-1 Super Bantamweight champion. He is the only three weight champion in K-1 history. A generational talent, Takeru is considered to be one of the greatest kickboxers in the modern history of the sport, alongside his compatriot Tenshin Nasukawa.
A professional competitor since 2008, Segawa became the K-1 Super Bantamweight champion when he defeated Taiga Kawabe in the finals of the 2015 K-1 Super Bantamweight Grand Prix, on April 19, 2015. He became the K-1 Featherweight champion when he defeated Kaito Ozawa in the finals of the 2016 K-1 Featherweight Grand Prix, on November 3, 2016, thus becoming the first two-weight champion in K-1 history. He further became the K-1 Super Featherweight champion after defeating Kosuke Komiyama in the finals of the 2018 K-1 Super Featherweight Grand Prix, on March 21, 2018, thus becoming the first and only three weight champion in K-1 history.
Segawa was ranked as a top ten pound for pound kickboxer by Combat Press from June 2015 until October 2022, when he took an extended break to heal a number of injuries, and was ranked as the best pound for pound kickboxer from June 2019 until July 2022. Combat Press ranked him as the best flyweight and later the best bantamweight in their divisional rankings as well.
Personal life and background
Born on July 29, 1991, Takeru was named after Yamato Takeru by his father, who was an avid amateur historian. As a child, Takeru was a fan of both pro-wrestling and kickboxing. He was inspired to pursue kickboxing as a professional career after seeing Andy Hug win the 1996 K-1 Grand Prix. After being expelled from highschool, three months into his first year, he decided to move to Thailand where he trained striking full-time. As he was training, he also attended a correspondence school, which enabled him to participate in K-1 Koshien tournaments, open only to high-schoolers. After graduating from high school, Takeru began training at Team Dragon under Kensaku Maeda.
Takeru has two siblings, an older and younger sister. Before deciding to become a professional prizefighter, Takeru was studying to become a child care worker.
Fighting style
Takeru is notable for using a high volume and variety of front leg kicks. He makes use of the lead leg push kicks and snap kicks. True to his karate background, he uses the lead leg round and triangle kick as well, which he will throw should his opponent circle to the left. Alongside these, he uses the lead leg head kick. To transfer power into his lead leg, however, Takeru must first place his rear leg underneath his center of gravity, which leaves him exposed on one leg, squared and without an option to retreat, should his lead leg kick be deflected or round kick blocked. To adjust to this when fighting southpaws, he sticks to step up lead leg low kicks and rear leg knees.
The lead leg attack don't merely serve to score points, or debilitate and exhaust opponents, but to push the opponent to the ropes. His main strikes, once the opponent is backed up, are the right hook to the body and the stepping right knee. He'll combine the right hook with the left hook to the head, or combine a right-left to the body. Due to his ability to strike with the lead leg, he'll often use it to feint a kick, before placing his leg down on the mat and throwing power strikes.
Kickboxing career
Early career
Takeru made his professional debut at KAKUMEI NAGOYA 3 ～, when he was scheduled to fight Bonta. He won the fight by a unanimous decision.
His next kickboxing bout came two years after his first one. He was scheduled to make his promotional appearance with K-1 at Krush 12, when he was set to face Hirofumi Kamata. He won the fight by a technical knockout, managing to knock Kamata down three times inside of the second round.
Takeru was scheduled to fight Katsumi Masuda at Krush-EX 2011 Final. Takeru dominated Kamata through all three rounds, with Kamata spending the entire fight on the defensive. Takeru won the fight by unanimous decision, with two judges scoring the bout 30-27 in his favor and the last judge scoring it 30-26 in his favor.
Takeru was scheduled to fight Kazuki Tanaka at Krush 17. He won the fight by a late second-round knockout. Takeru extended his six-fight winning streak with a first-round body-shot knockout of Masanori Shimada.