Overview

• Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa died from subdural hematomas sustained in separate matches on August 2 at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall.
• This was the first time two fighters succumbed to ring injuries at the same event in Japan, Japan Boxing Commission general secretary Tsuyoshi Yasukochi said.
• The new limit replaces the previous maximum of twelve rounds for Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation title contests.
• It follows the third boxing fatality of 2025, after Irishman John Cooney died of an intracranial hemorrhage during a February bout in Belfast.
• The World Boxing Organization expressed grief over both losses and extended condolences on its social media channels.