Japanese boxer Kazuki Anaguchi died Friday after suffering a subdural hematoma in his Dec. 26 fight in Tokyo, according to the Japan Boxing Commission.
He was 23.
Anaguchi (6-1, 2 KOs) was knocked down four times in the 10-round bantamweight fight and lost a tightly contested unanimous decision to Seiya Tsutsumi.
The 118-pound bout served as the ESPN+ co-feature to Naoya Inoue’s victory over Marlon Tapales for the undisputed junior featherweight championship.
Anaguchi won six of the 10 rounds on two of the three scorecards. He had been undergoing treatment at a hospital after he lost consciousness following the Dec. 26 fight, requiring emergency surgery. He never regained consciousness.
“Top Rank joins the boxing community in mourning the passing of Kazuki Anaguchi,” Inoue’s American promoter told ESPN. “We send our sincerest condolences to his family and loved ones.”