Two deaths have shaken Japanese boxing. Now the associations are responding with a new package of measures for greater safety in the ring.
Following the deaths of two boxers during fights in Tokyo, the Japanese association has announced extensive safety measures. In future, urine tests to check for dehydration, stricter rules on weight reduction and better medical care at events will be introduced.
The measures were decided at a crisis meeting of the Japan Pro Boxing Association (JPBA), the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) and gym operators. The meeting was prompted by the deaths of Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa (both 28), who suffered serious head injuries in separate fights on August 2 and died a few days later after undergoing brain surgery. The exact cause of death is unclear. However, according to the World Boxing Organization, dehydration due to rapid weight loss can make the brain more susceptible to bleeding and pose a huge health risk.
“The incidents are truly regrettable,” said JPBA President Shoji Kobayashi. “We have come together today to draw up a plan for zero accidents.” JBC Secretary General Tsuyoshi Yasukochi said the aim was to “take all possible measures to ensure that the deaths of the two were not in vain.” Japan’s former welterweight champion Toshiharu Kayama also expressed his concern: “The fact that something like this has happened to top boxers will lead to calls to question the sport of boxing. We need to rethink and change the sport.”