Recovery periods, risky dehydration techniques and overly intense sparring are all under scrutiny
Following the deaths of two fighters in early August, Japanese boxing authorities could be facing the most serious crisis in their sport’s history. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
DAISUKE SUGIURA
August 31, 2025 12:13 JST
NEWÂ YORK — Japanese boxing is facing what many regard as its most serious crisis in decades. The tragic tipping point came on Aug. 2 at Tokyo’s famed Korakuen Hall when two fighters who had competed in the co-main and main events collapsed with subdural hematomas sustained in the ring and subsequently died.