Over the past year and a half, Japanese boxing has been rocked by three tragic deaths. The first of the three came after 23-year-old Kazuki Anaguchi collapsed during a bout on December 26, 2023. He underwent emergency brain surgery but tragically passed away in February 2024. That tragedy was followed by another devastating night in Japanese boxing. On August 2, 2025, at Korakuen Hall, Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa suffered life-threatening injuries in separate fights against Yoji Saito and Yamato Hata.

Both fighters were rushed to the hospital by the Japanese Boxing Commission (JBC) and underwent emergency surgery for acute subdural hematomas. Kotari died on Friday, and Urakawa passed away the following day. In response, the JBC introduced reforms, including reducing the number

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