Although it may not seem so at first glance, apart from the raging adrenaline, combat sports have a number of risks to it. It puts fighters in two kinds of danger. One is the regular and sustained brain damage that boxers are often subjected to. This often leads to CTE, a degenerative disorder that, in turn, causes serious quality of life issues.

The other, however, is the the immediate risk of death or serious injury as the tragic death of Japanese boxer Kazuki Anaguchi has shed light on. The boxer’s death comes as a huge blow to the Japanese boxing scene as he was emerging as a promising young prospect.

Charles oliveira mourns death of Kazuki Anaguchi

Kazuki Anaguchi and Seiya Tsutsumi engaged in ten rounds of intense battle for the Japanese bantamweight title at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo on December 26. After the bout, he was brought to the hospital for medical treatment where doctors diagnosed him with cerebral hemorrhage, a fatal condition where blood leaks into the brain.

He was rushed to the emergency room where doctors removed part of his skull to relieve the pressure on his brain. Anaguchi went into a coma for 37 days and the 23-year-old never regained consciousness. The Japanese Boxing Commission announced that he passed away on Friday.

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Anaguchi only had seven professional fights on his resume and had a promising career in front of him. Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira reacted to this announcement and paid his condolences. “Heartbreaking RIP,” he tweeted as ‘Do Bronx’ gears up to face Arman Tsarukyan in a virtual title eliminator at UFC 300.

Anaguchi’s death highlights the dangers of combat sports

Kazuki Anaguchi came into his co-main event bout against Tsutsumi undefeated. However, after ten rounds of back-and-forth, where he got knocked down multiple times, Anaguchi lost the bout via a unanimous decision.

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Fighting in the event headlined by a clash between Naoya Inoue and Marlon Tapales, Anaguchi would have become the Japanese bantamweight champion if he had won. Even after his loss, the heart and courage he showed during the bout would actually have increased his stock. And the 23-year-old, who was in his athletic prime, had his whole career in front of him to polish and calibrate his skills to get to the next level.

His death is a terrible and heartbreaking tragedy and a somber reminder of the dangers of combat sports.

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