ONE SAMURAI 1 lands in Tokyo on April 29 with Takeru at the top of the card, and the Japanese star says the night is set up exactly the way he wanted for his farewell fight. He will meet Rodtang in a rematch for the interim flyweight kickboxing crown at Ariake Arena, with the event also set to air on Fuji TV.
Takeru said he was pleased the retirement fight had fallen into a spot that gives it maximum attention. “Well, I think that I’m in a sort of a situation where the farewell fight, the retirement fight can be taken in the best condition in terms of hype. So I’m very happy,” he said. For him, this is not just another main event. “Well, I think this fight will define my career. This is the finale of my career as a fighter. So by winning against Rodtang and winning the belt will be the completion of my career,” he said.
Before this bout, Takeru built a resume that included wins over Taiga and Petchdam, and he said the moment that still stands out most is the first K-1 belt he won. “Okay. So one that stands out is when I first got the K1 belt. That’s the one,” he said. But when asked about the legacy of his final night, he brushed aside the noise around it. “Yeah, truly I don’t care about those at all,” he said, and added that the story should end with him becoming champion: “Oh really the story how it should be concluded is to become the best in the world and become a champion.”
The card also includes a flyweight Muay Thai bout between 19-year-old American-Malaysian fighter Johan Ghazali and Shimon Yoshinari, the WBC Muay Thai World Champion. The scene around Takeru’s bout is expected to be unmistakably Japanese, with the arena full of local fans behind a hometown name who is trying to close his career the way he wants: “Well, just winning the fight and getting the belt and then make the retirement is what I think. Thank you.”
That leaves the same question that has followed Takeru into the ring for years, only sharpened by the setting and the stakes. If he beats Rodtang in Tokyo, he does not just win a belt on one championship’s biggest nights — he ends his career on his own terms.
