Hiromasa Urakawa, the 28-year-old Japanese boxer who passed away from injuries sustained in a TKO loss to Yoji Saito, has been laid to rest.
Urakawa, who held a record of 10-4 (7 KOs), died a week after Saito stopped him in the eighth and final round of the bout.
Urakawa’s death came on the heels of Shigetoshi Kotari’s passing after an attritional draw with Yamato Hata, who also went to the hospital after their fight. The Japan Boxing Commission responded swiftly following the double tragedy in search of ways to mitigate the inevitable health risks in boxing.
Teiken Boxing Gym, where Urakawa trained, wrote on X that Urakawa’s funeral was a successful ceremony.
“On the occasion of the funeral of the late Taiyo Urakawa, we sincerely thank you for the heartfelt kindness and consideration you have shown us. Thanks to your generosity, approximately 400 people attended, allowing us to complete the funeral without any issues, and we express our deepest gratitude from the bottom of our hearts. We sincerely thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend,” the gym wrote.
“The late Taiyo Urakawa, with a robust physique and spirit forged through baseball from a young age, trained tirelessly at the gym until late every day from the moment he joined. He worked diligently alongside athletes with extensive amateur experience, and his earnest dedication to boxing is undoubtedly etched in the hearts of us, the athletes and staff. We cannot help but feel profound sorrow at the loss of an irreplaceable comrade, and we are overwhelmed with deep regret. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.”
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