Tragedy struck Japan’s boxing community as two fighters—Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa, both aged 28—died from brain injuries sustained during separate bouts on the same fight card at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on August 2.
Kotari, who fought a 12-round draw with Yamato Hata, lost consciousness shortly after the match and passed away on August 8 from acute subdural haematoma, according to a statement from his gym.
Urakawa, who was stopped in the final round by Yoji Saito, also underwent emergency brain surgery but died on Saturday night, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) confirmed.
The Japan Boxing Commission’s Secretary-General, Tsuyoshi Yasukochi, said this was likely the first time in Japan that two fighters had undergone skull surgery for injuries from the same event. The WBO and local boxing community have expressed deep condolences to the families and friends of the deceased fighters.
