By:  | January 30, 2024 11:24 am

Anyone wondering hat it feels like to go five rounds with Superlek Kiatmoo9 need look no further than Takeru’s Instagram feed. The Japanese kickboxer shared a photo of his mangled leg on the social media site.

Takeru is walking on crutches after the unanimous decision loss to Superlek. He showed a close up photo of his damaged left thigh which is a bruised mess after the Thai subjected him to 15 minutes of non stop low kicks at ONE 165:

 

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A post shared by 武尊 Takeru (@k1takeru)

Visible damage

Takeru is regarded as one of the best kickboxers in the world. He has not fought many top Thais during a career that saw him pick up no fewer than three different K-1 titles.

His fight with Superlek headlined ONE 165 and Takeru’s superior experience in kickboxing made him the favourite. It did not pan out that way with the Thai slamming his shin repeatedly into the flesh of the K-1 veteran’s thigh.

During the fight it was clear that Superlek was connecting cleanly with these shots but the damage to Takeru’s leg was not immediately visible as the thigh was partially hidden by the flap on his shorts:

Sheer determination

Takeru appeared to be having trouble putting weight on the leg as early as the opening round. The Japanese fighter rallied in round three and appeared to have hurt his opponent with body shots.

It was a display of sheer determination from Takeru who was not going to give up despite the mangled leg. He could not keep Superlek at bay in the final two rounds though and slipped to a decision loss.

In his Instagram account Takeru writes that,

“I have a fractured knee, can’t walk now.”

If that is the case he is likely to be out of action for around six months, although it is possible something might have been lost in translation. With Rodtang Jitmuangnon waiting in the wings things aren’t going to get any easier for Takeru.

Welcome to ONE Championship!