Two Japanese Boxers Die After Brain Injuries at Same Tokyo Event

Two Japanese boxers tragically died from brain injuries sustained during separate bouts at the same event held in Tokyo, officials confirmed.

Super featherweight Shigetoshi Kotari and lightweight Hiromasa Urakawa, both aged 28, competed on the same fight card at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on 2 August.

Both fighters were rushed to hospital and underwent brain surgery following their respective matches.

Kotari, who battled to a draw after 12 rounds against fellow Japanese fighter Yamato Hata, lost consciousness shortly after the bout and passed away at 10:59 pm on 8 August, according to a statement posted by his M.T boxing gym on its website on Saturday.

“He did his best to fight his way through the surgery and treatment he had been receiving at a Tokyo hospital due to acute subdural haematoma,” the gym said in its statement.

Urakawa was stopped in the eighth and final round of his fight against Yoji Saito. The World Boxing Organization (WBO) announced on Instagram on Sunday that Urakawa “tragically succumbed to injuries sustained during his fight.”

Local media reported that Urakawa passed away on Saturday night.

The WBO expressed deep sympathy, stating: “This heartbreaking news comes just days after the passing of Shigetoshi Kotari, who died from injuries suffered in his fight on the same card. We extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends, and the Japanese boxing community.”

Tsuyoshi Yasukochi, secretary-general of the Japan Boxing Commission, told local media after the boxers’ hospitalisation that it was likely “the first time in Japan two fighters underwent skull-opening surgery for injuries stemming from the same event.”