Takeru After the Shocking Announcement of His Indefinite Leave of Absence

The top-level battle with Tenshin Nasukawa (23), which took place in Tokyo Dome with 56,000 spectators (see “TH E MATCH 20”) Takekata (30) had been the focus of much attention since his defeat in the final match against Tenshin Nasukawa (23) on June 19 at the Tokyo Dome. His answer was to vacate the K-1 super featherweight title and take an indefinite leave of absence. At the press conference, he read out the abnormalities in his body and mind: “Torn tendons in my fists, slipped separation in my lower back, damage to the anterior cruciate ligament in my knee, panic disorder, depression (……).” He seemed somewhat relieved when he said, “I want to fly abroad alone and face myself”

He said, “I try to sleep, but when I think about the match, my adrenaline kicks in and my heart starts racing. I was told that just closing my eyes would help my body rest, so I used a meditation app to play music and stayed up until morning.”

The Match, in which he clashed with Tenshin A year and a half before 2022, Takeru told this magazine about his insomnia. In particular, in 2015, after the “Fight of the Century” with Tenshin had been planned, he publicly announced that he would retire if he lost the fight, as he could not afford to lose as a K-1 ace before the Tenshin match. He whipped his body, wounds all over, and waved his arms in the air, using the pressure as motivation.

I have never been afraid of my opponents. What I’m afraid of is losing everything I’ve built up.

When this magazine asked him about his path to this point, he immediately replied, “It was hard.”

I was always fighting with fear. I thought that losing meant death. Immediately after the match, I couldn’t forgive myself, but the ‘thank you’ I received after losing made me happier than the ‘congratulations’ I received after winning for the past 10 years. Somehow the negative feelings had disappeared. I realized the distortion of myself, which had been controlled by fear, and I thought, ‘I can fight more boldly’ and ‘I can be stronger.

After saying these words, Takeru concluded the press conference by saying, “I now have a new goal” and “I have many possibilities.”

We interviewed him on his way home.

–He said that he had been reading through all the posts of his fans on social networking sites. That is typical of Takezo.

It took me three whole days to reply to all the e-mails and LINE messages (laughs).

–I achieved my goals: “I want to bring back the brilliance of K-1 when my idol Andy Hug was active,” and “I want to fill the Tokyo Dome once again. You were able to achieve these goals, weren’t you?

Of course, it was thanks to the help of many people, but when I saw the packed Tokyo Dome, I thought, ‘I think we’ve got it back.’

–How did your family react?

They said, “Thank you for your hard work. They know how much I have suffered, so they didn’t say anything more than that.”

He didn’t reveal his new goal– he said he would turn to mixed martial arts or boxing.

It is said that you will switch to mixed martial arts or boxing, but is it certain that your life as a fighter will continue?

‘Yes!　Wait and see!”

Whatever future Taketon chooses, the road ahead should not be hard.

From the July 15, 2022 issue of FRIDAY