Japanese boxing officials are scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to address a major safety crisis after two boxers died following separate bouts at the same event earlier this month.
Super featherweight Shigetoshi Kotari and lightweight Hiromasa Urakawa, both 28, passed away days after undergoing brain surgery following their fights at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on August 2.
The Japan Boxing Commission (JBC), along with gym owners and other officials, are under pressure to take action. “We are acutely aware of our responsibility as the manager of the sport,” Tsuyoshi Yasukochi, the JBC’s secretary-general, told reporters. “We will take whatever measures we can.”
Local media has drawn attention to the dangers of fighters dehydrating rapidly to make weight, with the Asahi Shimbun newspaper noting that “dehydration makes the brain more susceptible to bleeding.” The JBC plans to discuss this issue, along with pre-bout conditioning, with trainers and gym officials.
In an immediate response, the commission has decided to reduce all Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation title bouts from 12 rounds to 10. Yasukochi cited the fierce, aggressive style of modern Japanese boxers as a key reason for the change, stating, “Maybe 12 rounds can be dangerous.”
