Overview
- Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa, both aged 28, suffered head traumas during separate bouts at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on August 2.
- Each fighter was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency brain surgery that ultimately failed to save them.
- Kotari died on August 8 from a subdural hematoma and Urakawa succumbed to his injuries about a week after his match, officials confirmed.
- Japanese Boxing Commission secretary-general Tsuyoshi Yasukochi said it was likely the first time two boxers at the same event required brain operations in Japan.
- The unprecedented pair of ring fatalities has prompted authorities to formally review medical and safety protocols in professional boxing.