Two competitors d!ed from head injuries they got in separate fights on the same event in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on August 2.
The Japanese boxing community is in grief.
Shigetoshi Kotari, who was 28 years old, fell to the ground just after his 12-round title fight with Yamato Hata finished in a tie. He was taken to the hospital right once and had emergency brain surgery for a subdural hematoma. Kotari d!ed six days later, even though physicians tried to save him.
Rest in peace, The World Boxing Organization wrote a tribute on social media to Shigetoshi Kotari. A fighter in the ring. A fighter in the heart. Too soon. We are thinking of and praying for his family, his crew, and the whole Japanese boxing community.
Sadly, the same thing that happened also killed Hiromasa Urakawa. In a different fight, the 28-year-old lost by knockout to Yoji Saito and was diagnosed with the same ailment, a subdural hematoma. He had a craniotomy, but he d!ed from his injuries on Saturday.
In a separate statement, the WBO said, “This tragic news comes just days after Shigetoshi Kotari passed away from injuries he sustained in his fight on the same card.” We extend our deepest condolences to the Japanese boxing community, their families, and friends during this extremely trying time.
Kotari and Urakawa had battled each other in April of last year, which is a creepy turn of events.
Following the two fatalities, which occurred one after the other, the Japanese Boxing Commission promptly issued safety changes. All OPBF title fights will now only consist of 10 rounds rather than 12 in order to reduce the possibility of significant damage. Calls for a thorough probe into the August 2 incident in the sport have also increased.
One admirer remarked online, “Two de@ths in the same event… heartbreaking.” Another person said, “You might want to test every fighter from August 2.” Rest in peace.
Another famous person has d!ed in the sport in 2025. As was reported before, Irish boxer John Cooney d!ed in February, a week after having an intracranial hemorrhage during his Celtic super-featherweight title bout against Nathan Howells in Belfast. The 28-year-old fell after the ninth round stoppage and had to have emergency surgery, but he never got better.
His family said in a statement that he was a very loved son, brother, and partner. They thanked the staff at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital for their hard work and the people who prayed for him.
Three de@ths in less than a year have raised worries about the safety of professional boxing and started a debate about whether more sweeping changes are needed to keep fighters safe.