Japan to overhaul boxing safety after two deaths on Tokyo card

Two fighters died after a single August 2 boxing card in Tokyo, with another participant fighting for life, prompting Japan’s boxing authorities to consider sweeping safety reforms and drawing renewed attention to the sport’s health risks. The Japan Boxing Commission is weighing measures that could reshape training, weigh-ins, medical oversight and event matchmaking, while international bodies emphasize a shared responsibility to protect athletes as the sport confronts a crisis of confidence over fighter safety.

Kicking off the crisis, Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa, both 28, sustained brain injuries on different bouts on the same card at Korakuen Hall and died days later after brain surgery. A third boxer from the same event remains in a coma, intensifying scrutiny of weight-cutting practices, medical protocols and ring-side decision-making. In response, the JBC signaled an urgent, across-the-board review of safety standards and pledged to announce concrete plans in the near term. The statements describe a sport at a crossroads, with officials stressing that progress must be rapid and comprehensive to avert further tragedies.

At the heart of proposed reforms is weight...