Boxing officials in Japan to hold emergency meeting after deaths of 2 boxers on same card
Japan Boxing Commission, gym owners, officials under pressure to act after Shigetoshi Kotari, Hiromasa Urakawa die following brain surgery
Japanese boxing officials will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday as the sport in the country faces intense scrutiny following the deaths of two fighters in separate bouts at the same event.
Super featherweight Shigetoshi Kotari and lightweight Hiromasa Urakawa, both 28, fought on the same card at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on August 2, and died days later following brain surgery.
The Japan Boxing Commission (JBC), gym owners and other boxing officials are under pressure to act and will hold the emergency meeting on Tuesday and are also expected to have talks about safety next month, local media said.
“We are acutely aware of our responsibility as the manager of the sport,” Tsuyoshi Yasukochi, secretary general of the JBC, told reporters on Sunday.
“We will take whatever measures we can.”
Japanese media highlighted the risks of fighters dehydrating to lose weight rapidly before weigh-ins.