Attack and never give up: Inside Japan’s deadly boxing scene

Drastic weight loss, ferocious sparring and lax regulation have created a dangerous environment in Japanese boxing, as the sport battles for its future in the country after two fighters died.

Super featherweight Shigetoshi Kotari and lightweight Hiromasa Urakawa, both 28, fought separate bouts on the same card at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on August 2 and died days later following brain surgery.

Another Japanese boxer died after a bout in Tokyo in December 2023 and one more has been in a coma since May this year.

The twin tragedies this month sent shockwaves through Japanese boxing, with authorities scrambling to investigate and under pressure to tighten safety.

Although no clear causes for the deaths have been identified, several factors have emerged that paint a high-risk picture of Japan