Boxing authorities in Japan will introduce stricter safety measures after the sport was left in shock by the deaths this month of two boxers competing in the same event.
Officials from the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) told reporters this week the changes would include pre-bout urine tests, tougher rules on rapid weight loss and improvements in ringside medical services.
The governing body was forced to rethink its health and safety regime after Shigetoshi Kotari, a super featherweight, and Hiromasa Urakawa, a lightweight, died from brain injuries days after competing in separate bouts on the same card at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on 2 August.
Kotari, 28, collapsed and later died after emergency brain surgery to treat a subdural haematoma – a condition in which blood collects between the skull and the brain – after going 12 rounds against Yamato Hata in an Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) title fight. Kotari was able to leave the ring unaided but was clearly in distress.
Urakawa, also 28, died at the weekend from brain injuries sustained in a bout with Yoji Saito. His death was announced just over 24 hours after Kotari’s.
Urakawa fought 14 times as a professional, while Kotari contested 12 bouts.
While the exact cause of the boxers’ deaths has yet to be determined, concern is growing over the impact of rapid dehydration, which fighters use to “make weight” – an approach that experts say makes the brain more susceptible to bleeding.
Kotari and Urakawa’s deaths sent shock waves through the world of boxing, coming only months after 28-year-old Irish super-featherweight John Cooney died of a brain injury a week after he was stopped in his first Celtic super-featherweight title defence in Belfast.
In a tribute to the Japanese fighters, the president of the World Boxing Council, Mauricio Sulaiman, said on X: “The boxing world is in shock and deep sorrow for the tragic deaths of 2 boxers who fought in the same card in Japan. May they rest in peace and their inspiration serve to all to work on finding ways to protect our boxers of the world.”
The JBC, gym owners and other officials met on Tuesday to vote on emergency measures. It had already been announced that OPBF title fights would be reduced from 12 to 10 rounds.
The new measures include urine tests to determine if a boxer is adequately hydrated and stricter rules on rapid weight loss, officials told reporters on Tuesday. Fighters who regain more than 10% of their bodyweight between the weigh-in and the day of the bout will be forced to move up a weight class before their next contest, public broadcaster NHK said.
Ambulances will also be positioned on site and will be paired with hospitals that are able to perform emergency surgery for head and other injuries. Currently ambulances must be on standby at world-title fights, but not at other contests.
“Officials have decided to take all possible measures to ensure that the deaths of these two boxers are not in vain,” Tsuyoshi Yasukochi, secretary general of the JBC, said.
Describing the boxers’ deaths as “really regrettable,” Shoji Kobayashi, the president of the Japanese Pro Boxing Association, said new rules would also be introduced on how long before an official fight a boxer must stop sparring in preparation.
The tragedy has added to pressure on Japanese boxing authorities to better protect the health of it the country’s fighters after high-profile incidents in the past two years.
In early 2024, bantamweight Kazuki Anaguchi died aged 23 from a subdural haematoma after being knocked down four times in a bout weeks earlier.
In May this year, Ginjiro Shigeoka was stretchered out of the ring and underwent emergency brain surgery after collapsing at the end of a bout in Osaka. His treatment included a craniotomy – in which a section of the skull is removed before surgery – forcing his retirement under Japan Boxing Commission rules.
Other Japanese fighters voiced concern that the most recent incidents would reignite criticism of the sport. “These incidents involved top-level boxers, so we may face the argument that boxing should be banned,” said Toshiharu Kayama, a former Japan welterweight champion who now runs a gym in Tokyo.
With Agence France-Presse
