Japanese boxer Shigetoshi Kotari sadly passed away on Friday, August 8, at the age of 28 due to injuries he sustained during a fight.
After the match against Yamato Hata on August 2, for the OPBF super-featherweight tittle, which ended in a tie, Kotari was taken to the hospital and underwent emergency brain surgery for a subdural hematoma, a condition where blood accumulates between the skull and the brain.
The Japan Boxing Commission said that Kotari was one of two fighters "to require brain surgery following the event, with Hiromasa Urakawa undergoing a craniotomy following his bout with Yoji Saito," reported BBC Sports.
However, there has been no further information about Urakawa's health condition.
The World Boxing Council (WBC) president Mauricio Sulaiman expressed his condolences for the late boxer in a statement, noting, "Deeply sorry for this loss, a ring accident which makes all of us go back to continue research to find ways to make boxing safer and implement prevention programmes."
"Our deepest sympathy and condolences for his family and the boxing community in Japan," he added.
After the incident, the Japan Boxing Commission declared that all Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) tittle fights will now be limited to 10 rounds instead of the previous 12.
