Boxing Star Shigetoshi Kotari Dead at 28

Japanese boxer Shigetoshi Kotari has tragically passed away following a serious injury he sustained in a title fight just 1 week ago.

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) announced on X Kotari died on Friday after his August 2 match in Tokyo against Yamato Hata … and remembered him as a “warrior in the ring” and a “fighter in spirit.”

The super-featherweight underwent emergency brain surgery to treat a subdural hematoma following the fight, per a translated press release shared by the Japan Boxing Commission. A subdural hematoma is a type of bleeding that occurs between the brain and skull, per Cleveland Clinic, and can be fatal if not attended to.

Kotari was vying for the OPBF Super Featherweight title on August 2 and was thrilled to be competing against Hata … and even posted a snap of the pair posing side-by-side a day before the match.

The translated post reads … “Finally the time has come. What I’ve been accumulating, Bet it all and go win. I will definitely be a champion.”

President of the World Boxing Council (WBC) Mauricio Sulaiman honored Kotari as well, saying he is “deeply sorry for this loss” and encouraged those to “research to find ways to make boxing safer and implement prevention programmes.”

He was 28.