Japanese fighter Ginjiro Shigeoka has been hospitalised with bleeding in the brain following a bout in Osaka, Japan.
Shigeoka, 11-2 (9) and one no-contest, had just lost a split decision to Filipino fighter Pedro Taruan in their rematch for the IBF minimumweight championship. Shigeoka lost to Taduran in nine rounds last year in Otsu, Japan. It has been reported by ESPN that Shigeoka collapsed after their first fight, too.
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Shigeoka has reportedly suffered a subdural haematoma, in which the brain begins to bleed. The blood is then trapped between the brain and the skull, with the resulting pressure having the potential to cause great damage. It is the same type of injury suffered by Gerald McClellan in 1995 and Magomed Absulamov in 2013.
Rushed to hospital, surgeons within Osaka have performed a reported craniotomy on Shigeoka, where a portion of the skull is removed to relieve pressure within the brain. Shigeoka is now, according to reports, in hospital and under observation.
It is understood that Shigeoka’s career within Japanese rings, at least, is over. According to the rules set out by the Japan Boxing Commission, no fighter is allowed to compete following brain surgery.
Shigeoka turned professional in 2018. His amateur career included a sole loss, reportedly to his own brother when the towel was thrown in at the beginning to prevent the siblings from fighting one another.
The first title shot for Shigeoka ended in a no-contest in 2023, when he fought Daniel Valladares in Osaka. It was determined that the latter could not continue following an accidental clash of heads. Shigeoka went onto win the IBF interim minimumweight title in his next fight, before defending against Valladares immediately after.
After stopping Valladares in five rounds, Shigeoka made one successful defence, stopping Jake Amparo in two rounds in March 2024. He then lost the first of his two fights against Taruan.
Here at The Independent, we send our best wishes to Ginjiro Shigeoka and hope for his quick and full recovery.
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