FORMER world champion Yudai Shigeoka announced his retirement earlier today, while also providing an update on the condition of his brother, Ginjiro Shigeoka.
Moments after losing his gruelling rematch against Pedro Turdan in May, Ginjiro was left fighting for consciousness before subsequently getting rushed off to hospital.
It was only then that medical experts discovered a bleed on his brain, forcing the 25-year-old to undergo surgery which, following the procedure, saw him slip into a coma.
A few days later, Yudai then revealed that his brother had begun to breathe without assistance, yet his condition, while perhaps not worsening, seemingly remains far from a return to full health.
As a result, Yudai has made the difficult decision to hang up his gloves, acknowledging that the gradual recovery of Ginjiro is where his full focus must remain.
“The other day my brother Ginjiro was transferred to a hospital in Kumamoto [Japan],” Yudai wrote on Instagram. “And today, I [have] decided to retire from boxing.
“Thanks to the doctors and nurses at the National Hospital Osaka Medical Center, Ginjiro is still alive. We are truly grateful. They saved his life.
“He is currently undergoing three types of rehabilitation at a hospital in Kumamoto, three hours a day. I encourage him every day, telling him not to give up and to keep trying, so that flame in his heart does not go out.”
Confirmation of Yudai’s retirement follows the devastating news that both Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa, two fighters that fought on August 2, had tragically lost their lives.
The Japanese Boxing Commission was then urged to hold an emergency meeting, at which it was determined just yesterday that stricter protocols – including urine tests, designed to measure levels of dehydration – will be put in place.
While the causes of Kotari and Urakawa’s deaths are yet to be confirmed – with a JBC investigation set to take place later this month – it is widely accepted that rapid weight loss can make fighters more vulnerable to brain injuries.
As for Yudai, his career will largely be defined by a WBC world minimumweight title victory in 2023, before he then suffered points defeats to Melvin Jerusalem in his only two blemishes as a professional.
But now, it would appear that he will spend the foreseeable future caring for his brother.
“Gin has big dreams, and he is still only halfway there, but I believe it is my role as [his] brother to help colour his life from now on,” the 28-year-old added via social media.
