One of humanity’s greatest strengths is our ability to learn from our mistakes. Over the decades and centuries that boxing has existed, the sport has evolved—not only becoming safer but also changing for the better. Sadly, though, history shows that such change often comes at the cost of tragedy, as it did on the night of August 2nd at Korakuen Hall in Japan. Japanese boxers Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa sustained life-threatening injuries during their fights in the same event. Hiromasa Urakawa lost his fight against Yoji Saito via knockout in the eighth round, while Shigetoshi Kotari had a draw against Yamato Hata in their 12-round bout.

Soon after their respective fights, both were rushed to the hospital by the Japanese Boxing Commission (JBC), where they underwent emergency surgery for acute subdural hematoma. Despite the best efforts from the doctors, both 28-year-old fighters passed away last Friday and Saturday. In the wake of the horrific tragedy and the unbearable sorrow that it brought with it, the JBC has announced safety reforms that will prevent such incidents and the irreplaceable loss of life in the sport.

JBC Chairman Hagiwara Minoru and Secretary-General Yasukawa Tsuyoshi held a press conference in Tokyo yesterday after the boxers’ passing. During this presser, changes to the existing rule set have been revealed by the boxing commission. According to a report from Hochi News, title fights organized by the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) across the globe will now have 10 rounds, instead of 12. Additionally, title fights held by the WBO Asia Pacific in Japan will follow the same ruleset for the number of rounds in a fight.

The JBC and the Japan Professional Boxing Association will have an emergency meeting on August 12th, which will look at further measures. It’s also worth noting that Japanese boxer Kazuki Anaguchi met with a similar fate as Kotari and Urakawa during his fight on December 26, 2023. He, too, was taken to a hospital for brain surgery, but lost his life on February 2, 2024, at the age of 23. This makes three deaths in Japanese boxing over the course of a year and a half, making reforms even more crucial. 

However, the question is, does the number of rounds really have any relation to the incidents?

Hagiwara Minoru and Yasukawa Tsuyoshi express their thoughts on the reforms

Speaking during the presser, Hagiwara said, “We will begin work on anything we can immediately, including investigating and clarifying the cause and taking measures going forward.” Meanwhile, Yasukawa added, “What happened this time is serious. We have received requests… saying that if there is anything we can do, we will do it. We would like to work together with everyone to prevent a recurrence.”

Although there isn’t any solid evidence suggesting the number of rounds has any relation with the deaths, Yasukawa claimed fighters engage in heated exchanges from the very first round, and heavy attacks come in quick succession. “In Kotari’s case, he fought well until the 12th round, but I think that 12 rounds is an extremely dangerous time,” Yasukawa added. He also claimed that even weight loss is being looked at from an administrative perspective.

“I would like to hear the opinions of those involved in the [Japan Professional Boxing Association] who have been working closely with the athletes for a long time,” Yasukawa said. Another potential change to the rules could involve changes to pre-fight weigh-ins. Fighters can gain 12% weight above the prescribed weight limit 30 days before the fight, and 7% weight gain two weeks before. Violating these conditions currently doesn’t involve any penalties.

“I would like to work with the [Japan Professional Boxing Association] so that rules can be made more binding in the future,” Yasukawa said.

The Japanese Boxing Commission appears to be taking the deaths of Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa very seriously, introducing reforms aimed at preventing such tragedies from happening again. It remains to be seen whether these measures will be expanded with additional rules. Do you think this is a step in the right direction?