Boxing, a sport many see as too dangerous, is once again grappling with questions of safety and protocol after two Japanese boxers in their 20s died within a day of each other from fatal brain injuries suffered during separate fights on the same night.
Shigetoshi Kotari died on Aug. 8 and Hiromasa Urakawa on Aug. 9 after competing in different fights on the same card at Tokyo’s iconic Korakuen Hall on Aug. 2. Both boxers underwent surgery for subdural hematomas — a condition in which blood collects between the skull and the brain.
Kotari lost consciousness in his dressing room after going 12 rounds against Yamato Hata in a bout for the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) super featherweight title that ended in a draw. Urakawa, a lightweight who appeared on the undercard in an 8-rounder against Yoji Saito, collapsed in the ring after a technical knockout loss in the final round.