Boxing deaths in Japan prompt much reflection

Drastic weight loss, ferocious sparring and lax regulation have created a dangerous environment in Japanese boxing, as the sport battles for its future in the country after the deaths of two fighters.

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TOKYO - Drastic weight loss, ferocious sparring and lax regulation have created a dangerous environment in Japanese boxing, as the sport battles for its future in the country after the deaths of two fighters.

Super featherweight Shigetoshi Kotari and lightweight Hiromasa Urakawa, both 28, fought separate bouts on the same card at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall on Aug 2 and died days later following brain surgery.

Another Japanese boxer died after a bout in Tokyo in December 2023 and one more has been in a coma since May 2025.

The twin tragedies in August sent shock waves through Japanese boxing, with the authorities scrambling to investigate and under pressure to tighten safety.

Although no clear causes for the deaths have been identified, several factors have emerged that paint a high-risk picture of Japan's boxing scene.

"I believe it is safe, but the results are everything," said Hideyuki Ohashi, manager and promoter of Japan's undisputed super bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue.

"Three people have died (since December 2023) and that's nothing to be proud of."