Japanese boxer Shigetoshi Kotari passes away from brain injury

28-year-old Japanese super-featherweight boxer Shigetoshi Kotari has died from injuries sustained in his August 2 bout with Yamato Hata in Tokyo.

Kotari collapsed after the fight and was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent emergency brain surgery for a subdural hematoma, bleeding between the skull and brain.

The Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) confirmed his death on Friday.

He was one of two fighters from the same event to require brain surgery, with Hiromasa Urakawa also undergoing a craniotomy after being knocked out by Yoji Saito.

Tributes have poured in from across the boxing world, including from the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) and the World Boxing Council (WBC).

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said: “Deeply sorry for this loss, a ring accident which makes all of us go back to continue research to find ways to make boxing safer and implement prevention programmes. Our deepest sympathy and condolences for his family and the boxing community in Japan.”

Following the tragedy, the JBC announced that all Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) title bouts will be reduced from 12 to 10 rounds.

Kotari, who fought Hata to a draw for the OPBF super-featherweight title, had a professional record of eight wins, two losses and two draws. His death comes months after Irish boxer John Cooney, 28, died in February from an intracranial haemorrhage sustained during a fight in Belfast.