Japan boxing to adopt stricter safety rules after deaths of two fighters

Japanese boxing officials said on Tuesday they would introduce urine tests, stricter rules on weight loss to prevent dehydration and improve medical cover at bouts following the deaths of two fighters.

The new measures were adopted during an emergency meeting of the Japan Pro Boxing Association (JPBA), the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) and gym owners on Tuesday. 

It was convened after super featherweight Shigetoshi Kotari and lightweight Hiromasa Urakawa, both 28, died days after brain surgery on injuries they sustained in separate bouts at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on August 2.

The exact cause of the boxers’ deaths is to be determined, but dehydration caused by cutting weight rapidly is regarded as a factor in making the brain more susceptible to bleeding, according to the World Boxing Association.

The deaths were “really regrettable,” said JPBA president Shoji Kobayashi. “We gathered today to establish a plan towards zero accidents.” 

New measures to be implemented as soon as possible include urine tests for measuring dehydration and stricter rules on boxers’ rapid weight loss, said Tsuyoshi Yasukochi, secretary-general of the JBC.

Ambulances will also be required on site, even for non-world championship bouts. They will partner with hospitals that are equipped to perform emergency surgery for head and other injuries.

There will also be new rules on how long before a fight sparring must be stopped during training, he said.

Officials decided “to take all measures possible so we do not let the deaths of the two be in vain,” Yasukochi added.

Kotari collapsed and later died after going 12 rounds in an Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation title fight. The JBC had already announced all future OPBF title bouts would be reduced to 10 rounds.

“That such an incident occurred involving top-level boxers means we may face arguments that boxing should be halted,” admitted Toshiharu Kayama, former Japan welterweight champion and president of the boxing gym Ebisu K’s Box.

“We, the association and gyms, want to think and change” the way the sport is contested, Kayama said.

An accident investigation committee will work to find out the cause of the boxers’ deaths later this month and guidance on prevention measures will be updated, Yasukochi said.

The JBC and JPBA will also hold a safety meeting later this month, which will include the organisations’ doctors as well as the amateur boxing federation, he added.