Two high profile Japanese boxers have died in the same week following injuries sustained during the same fight card on August 2.
First it was the death of Shigetoshi Kotari on Friday from injuries sustained during a separate bout on the same card at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall.
The second boxer, Hiromasa Urakawa, 28, died on Saturday after he was beaten via knockout in the eighth round of his fight with Yoji Saito on 2 August. He suffered from brain injuries at the boxing event in Tokyo.
Both boxers underwent surgery for subdural haematoma – a condition where blood collects between the skull and the brain.
The Japan Boxing Commission said Kotari required brain surgery following the boxing event, with Hiromasa Urakawa undergoing a craniotomy following his bout with Yoji Saito.
The World Boxing Organisation (WBO) said, external it “mourns the passing of Japanese boxer Hiromasa Urakawa, who tragically succumbed to injuries sustained during his fight against Yoji Saito”.
It added: “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 during this incredibly difficult time.”
Following the event, the Japan Boxing Commission announced all Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) title bouts will now be 10 rounds instead of 12.
Shigetoshi Kotari is the second boxer pass away in 205 and the first Japanese in 2025. Urakawa is the third high-profile boxer to die in 2025 after Irishman John Cooney passed away in February following a fight in Belfast.
Cooney died aged 28 after suffering an intracranial haemorrhage from his fight against Welshman Nathan Howells.
