Two Japanese boxers, Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa, have tragically died from brain injuries sustained in separate bouts at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall. Both boxers were 28 years old.
Shigetoshi Kotari collapsed after a 12-round draw against Yamato Hata, the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation junior lightweight champion, on August 2nd. He underwent emergency brain surgery for a subdural hematoma, a condition where blood collects between the brain and skull, but succumbed to his injuries on Friday.
Hiromasa Urakawa died on Saturday after suffering the same injury during a knockout loss to Yoji Saito. He had also undergone a craniotomy in an attempt to save his life.
In response to these devastating events, the Japanese Boxing Commission has announced that all OPBF title bouts will be reduced from 12 rounds to 10.
The boxing world is also mourning the death of Irish boxer John Cooney, who passed away earlier this year, a week after being taken into intensive care following his Celtic super-featherweight title defeat.
7 Comments
Bella Ciao
a great loss.
Muchacha
How much longer can this go on? We are talking about young lives lost. Period.
Manolo Noriega
A sad commentary on the costs of this sport. Lets not tarnish the sacrifice of these men.
Fuerza
This is heartbreaking. We honor their courage and dedication to their sport.
Manolo Noriega
Every time I hear of these deaths, I ask myself why the sport exists. So sad.
Michelangelo
So sad to hear this news. Boxing is dangerous, but it's also a sport that requires courage, discipline and dedication.
Raphael
This is proof that professional boxing is a fundamentally unsafe activity, no matter the prestige.