Overview

• Shigetoshi Kotari collapsed after a 12-round draw for the OPBF super featherweight title on August 2 and died on August 8 from an acute subdural hematoma.
• Hiromasa Urakawa was knocked out in the eighth round by Yoji Saito at the same event and died on August 9 following emergency surgery for a similar brain bleed.
• Yamato Hata remains in a coma in a Tokyo hospital after sustaining a suspected acute subdural hematoma in his match against Kotari.
• The World Boxing Organization publicly confirmed both deaths and issued condolences on social media.
• The Japanese Boxing Commission announced that all Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation title bouts will now be limited to 10 rounds to enhance fighter safety.