It is a real honour to announce MTGP’s latest partnership with the largest internet media channel in Japan ABMEA who are already working with all the leading promotions around the World. This can only mean, we will eventually sign even more Japanese fighters to fight globally on our shows Worldwide!
Takeru is one of my all time favourite fighters on this planet, not only technical, highly clinical, and very explosive with great knockout power. He is a World Champion in 3 categories and will be the first ever Japanese kickboxer to feature on MTGP.
This announcement is very special to me personally, as we will have the largest MTGP fightcard and event in the history of the sport. That’s why I have specifically chosen the beautiful City of Paris as the venue. It has already has a great fight culture with many of the biggest names to announce at the incredible 8000 seater venue – Zenith.
Europe has never seen anything this huge in a long time! Eric Konako and myself will keep bringing you something very spectacular over the next few weeks…
The huge official announcement you have been teased with… and have been waiting for!
Three Division K-1 Champion Takeru will fight in Europe against the UK’s ‘British Bulldog’ Bailey Sugden for the ISKA World Lightweight title at Zenith in Paris on Saturday 24th June 2023.
Takeru’s last fight was one of the largest in kickboxing history. Tenshin Nasukawa in front of nearly 60,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome in a fight that had been brewing for several years. Takeru his coming back from an extended break but can’t wait to ignite his kickboxing career.
He is taking on an opponent who has fought numerous times for MTGP and Glory, with Sugden coming into this contest on the back of a three fight winning streak. Takeru will take some beating as in over a decade during which the 31 year old has established himself as one of the best pound for pound kickboxers on the entire planet. Takeru has earned a career high purse from his last fight with Tenshin and this will be his first time fighting since becoming a multi-millionaire.
Having effectively conquered K-1 before running down his contract, Takeru has almost run out of opponents in Japan. With the choice of Paris and Bailey Sugden for his comeback is something of a coup for MTGP given that he had been linked up recently with some very high profile, big money fights.
ISKA World Champion Bailey Sugden can’t wait to put on a show against Takeru and show the World what the ‘British Bulldog’ is not only the UK’s best Lightweight but also Europe!! The Newark born fighter recently produced a fantastic unanimous Title Defence against ISKA European freestyle rules champion Pedro Ruiz in England. Sugden knows exactly what to expect from Takeru, as he has been keen to break into the Japanese K-1 scene and hungry for so much more and can’t wait to get back in there and show why he’s the current defending World Champion.
This fight for the first time in Muay Thai Grand Prix’s history, will be for the Double Lightweight MTGP and ISKA World Titles! Takeru will have a very tough fight on his hands to overcome Sugden in Paris and it will be fascinating to see the outcome!!!
