BoxRec

kai watanabe vs reo saito

not a long watch, but a crazy one. holy ish. the first and third rounds especially

this one wouldve probably been stopped about 25 different times by most refs

That’s an insane fight, A perfect storm, I’m not sure if that’s a fantastic referee, or if he’s drunk, either way one of the fights of the year

What a fight, The one who lost punched himself out in the first. We moan at refs for jumping in to soon but there were a few times in that fight that I thought he should of jumped in

No one would of questioned the ref stopping the fight at the second knockdown of the first round.
That was a great comeback.
Man he spent every ounce of energy in that first round.

Good watch that. Thanks

Jeez , what a fight , no way would that go that far elswhere , remember a guy years ago who had lived in Japan for years saying to me NEVER underestimate a japanese fighter

Thanks for posting this. I'd love to see punch stats for this bout. Also, I notice that the Japanese fans don't sit quietly during bouts like they used to.

Great fight, thanks for that. I think the ref must have been enjoying it as a fan and forgot that he is the one that should be stepping in…

coneye wrote: ↑02 Aug 2025, 06:39 Jeez , what a fight , no way would that go that far elswhere , remember a guy years ago who had lived in Japan for years saying to me NEVER underestimate a japanese fighter

You can damn sure never question their courage.

Wild fight for sure. Thanks for posting

coneye wrote: ↑02 Aug 2025, 06:39 Jeez , what a fight , no way would that go that far elswhere , remember a guy years ago who had lived in Japan for years saying to me NEVER underestimate a japanese fighter

The Japanese are very proud people, to proud sometimes

Nightmare Roy wrote: ↑03 Aug 2025, 11:41

coneye wrote: ↑02 Aug 2025, 06:39 Jeez , what a fight , no way would that go that far elswhere , remember a guy years ago who had lived in Japan for years saying to me NEVER underestimate a japanese fighter

The Japanese are very proud people, to proud sometimes

Speaking of Japanese boxing 2 boxers died on the same show in separate fights. Crazy and sad.

Do the commission over there do hydration checks. We slate referees like Howard foster for early stoppage but maybe the referees need to step in sooner.

Glass Joe wrote: ↑10 Aug 2025, 01:56

Nightmare Roy wrote: ↑03 Aug 2025, 11:41

coneye wrote: ↑02 Aug 2025, 06:39 Jeez , what a fight , no way would that go that far elswhere , remember a guy years ago who had lived in Japan for years saying to me NEVER underestimate a japanese fighter

The Japanese are very proud people, to proud sometimes

Speaking of Japanese boxing 2 boxers died on the same show in separate fights. Crazy and sad.

Do the commission over there do hydration checks. We slate referees like Howard foster for early stoppage but maybe the referees need to step in sooner.

I remember a lad on an Inoue card a couple of years back at xmas time died after a bout. He was clearly in a lot of distress, and there wasn't even a Doctor looking him over. They need a major review of their medical practices there, clearly.

Japan adopts stricter safety rules after deaths

Japanese boxing officials have voted to implement stricter rules on weight loss and to also introduce urine tests following the deaths of two fighters in Tokyo.

Super-featherweight Shigetoshi Kotari, 28, and featherweight Hiromasa Urakawa, also 28, died after sustaining injuries in separate bouts on the same card on 2 August.

Both boxers underwent surgery for subdural haematoma - a condition where blood collects between the skull and the brain.

Following the event, the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) announced all Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) title bouts will now be 10 rounds instead of 12.

The Japanese Professional Boxing Association (JPBA), the JBC and gym owners met to discuss the emergency measures on Tuesday.

They voted to include urine tests to measure dehydration and agreed that ambulances will be required on site, even for non-world title bouts.

Hospitals will partner with the governing bodies to ensure they are equipped to perform emergency surgery for head and other injuries.

Fighters will also have to adhere to new rules on how long they must stop sparring during training before a fight.

"Officials have decided to take all possible measures to ensure that the deaths of these two boxers are not in vain," Tsuyoshi Yasukochi, secretary general of the JBC, said.

Yasukochi said an accident investigation committee will work to find out the cause of the boxers' deaths later in August before updating their guidance on prevention measures.

The JBC and JPBA are also scheduled to meet with the organisations' doctors and the amateur boxing federation.

well, at least there are changes here, hopefully they are well implemented and we never see an outcome like that again. 2 deaths on one card is insanity

also, the original video was deleted , here is the fight again for anyone interested