Tragedy Strikes Twice at Tokyo Fight Night: Two Fighters Lose Their Lives in One Event
Exactly twelve nights after the opening bell rang at Korakuen Hall, both boxers on the marquee card had passed away from the same catastrophic brain injury. Twenty-eight-year-old Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa, also 28, fought on the same Aug 2 program and, within twenty-fours of each other, succumbed to massive subdural hematomas—blood pooling inside the skull, pressing mercilessly against the brain.
A Sudden Collapse in the Spotlight
- Kotari had just gone the full 12 rounds, earning a draw with Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation junior-lightweight champion Yamato Hata. Moments after the final card was read he crumpled.
- Emergency crews rushed him to a nearby hospital; surgeons worked through the night performing a craniectomy to relieve the swelling.
- For six days he fought outside the ring, but on Friday his heart stopped.
Hiromasa Urakawa’s Night Ends Even Earlier
The very next fight on the bill ended in a knockout. Urakawa, stepping in against Yoji Daito, was floored late in the match and never rose fully. A second neurosurgical team at the same trauma center battled for more than forty-eight hours, yet the swelling proved unstoppable. Urakawa died early Saturday morning.
Global Boxing Responds: Mourning and Mandates
Governing Bodies Speak Out
- The World Boxing Organization issued successive statements: “A warrior in the ring. A fighter in spirit. Gone too soon.”
- Condolences echoed across social platforms from fighters, promoters and Olympic committees.
Immediate Course Corrections by the Japan Boxing Commission
- Round Reduction: Effective immediately, all OPBF championships will now be capped at ten three-minute rounds, slicing cumulative head trauma exposure by roughly 17 %.
- Emergency Safety Summit: JBC officials, gym owners, ringside physicians and licensing boards will convene this coming Tuesday; a broader safety symposium is slated for September.
- Gloves, pre-fight neuro-imaging and sparring-day limits are rumored to be on the table.
Tsuyoshi Yasukochi, Secretary-General of JBC, said flatly:
We are acutely aware of our responsibility as the guardian of these athletes. What happened last week is unacceptable.
Context: The Year the Sport Has Already Mourned
The double tragedy in Tokyo is merely the latest in a grim 2025 ledger:
- February – John Cooney, 28, collapsed from an intracranial bleed the week after his Celtic super-feather title bout in Belfast.
- Now Kotari & Urakawa, each 28, leaving behind parents, partners and teammates still asking one haunting question: How many warnings before change becomes unavoidable?
Memorial Vigil:
Fans, fighters and officials will gather Tuesday evening beneath the lights of Korakuen Hall. Two photographs will hang in the silent ring—one of Kotari, gloves crossed over his chest; one of Urakawa, smiling with his corner—each image a quiet reminder that every punch carries weight, and every boxer deserves better safety than fate gave these two young warriors.
