By Joe Koizumi
Photo: Naoki Fukuda
Pitifully Japanese boxer Kazuki Anaguchi (6-1, 2 KOs), 23, passed away yesterday (Friday) evening in Tokyo, Japan. Anaguchi, an unbeaten southpaw boxer-puncher, demonstrated a gallant performance in the semi-final to support the undisputed super bantam title bout of Naoya “The Monster” Inoue and Marlon Tapales, but failed to win the national bantamweight belt from also unbeaten WBA#3 Seiya Tsutsumi on December 26.
Kazuki, whose amateur mark was so excellent as 68-8 while boxing at Ashiya University, couldn’t participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games, and then entered the paid ranks at Shinsei Gym in Kobe city in 2021. The fast-punching prospect made a good start with a TKO victory and stayed unbeaten since to make an entry in the “Bantamweight Monster Tournament”. He kept winning and then, in the final of the tourney with 10,000,000 Yen ($66,666) at stake, faced Japanese champ Seiya Tsutsumi in quest of the national belt.
Anaguchi was winning after the fifth on the open scoring system: 48-46 twice and 47-47. He looked to have won all other rounds than four rounds (the fourth, seventh, ninth and tenth) when he took a count, eventually losing a unanimous decision (94-92 twice, 95-91). The 94-92 tally means Tsutsumi won 10-8 four times in total, while Anaguchi swept all other six sessions. After the ninth, the two judges’ scores read 84-84 to have it a literally one-round fight in the final session.
In such a hard-fought see-saw contest, it might have been very hard for the referee or the corner to halt it midway through the bout. Kazuki reportedly lost consciousness in the dressing room and was immediately rushed by ambulance to the hospital. After undergoing brain surgery, he stayed in a deep coma for more than a month and passed away at the hospital in Tokyo.
It was yesterday, almost at the same time as his pitiful passing, that it was named The Fight of the Year in the domestic category. Anaguchi’s last fight truly deserves it. May his soul rest in peace.
Terrible to hear. That fight was amazing. I had never seen a fight like it. Huge heart on both sides. Anaguchi was past exhaustion but kept getting up and fighting.
My condolences to a brave warrior!
So sad to hear. Condolences to his family. What a talented warrior he was. Gone too soon.
Tragic and I’m sorry to read this. Anaguchi looked to be a promising, talented fighter with a bright future. Condolences to his family.
Very sad. Boxing is an insanely dangerous sport. Easy to forget when we type away on our computers, criticising fighters. Nothing but respect to this kid and anybody brave enough to enter the ring. Rest Peacefully Kazuki
Sometimes there is such a thing as too much courage.
I am both saddened and INFURIATED by this. I watched that fight, and my immediate reaction was “get him to a hospital” right after the bell rang as his legs were giving out and spasming.
They walked him back to the dressing room on his own, and I’ve been waiting to hear what was going on… I don’t know if this could have been prevented, but I do know that was completely mishandled. And I hope the family sues them.
I had the same feeling after the Matias/Dadashev fight. I said to myself, why are they not rushing this man to tye hospital when he couldn’t keep his head up in the corner after the fight.
Terrible news.
RIP Kazuki.
Never like to hear this…RIP
This was extremely sad to read about.
My thoughts are with Kazuki’s family and loved ones.
This fight must go down as a nightmare for the referee who didn’t step in and stopped it. It’s easy to think back, if only I had….But I don’t blame him. I would probably have let the fight continue over the last round too. The same with the two corners. No blame.
In the midst of all the tragic, maybe we can learn something from this to avoid something similar. At least a try.
Maybe a ring-doctor should be given a more pronounced active role?
If concerned, step in more actively and paus the fight, even in the middle of a round, perhaps with a caracteristic sound/bell, when heard the referee halts the fight together with a time out, and let the ringdoctor do his work. If okey, let it continue. If not stop it.
Or when many punches has been exchanged to the heads, not always particularly hard, but numbers counts, and there are sign of exhaustion.
Perhaps the ringdoctor should be given a more pronounced mandate to step in between the rounds and stop such a fight. Many punches to the head along with signs of exhaustion should definitely be of concern thinking about the fighters health.
In such case, leave it to the scorecards and let both fighters wake up with their loved ones next morning.
Damn man, not a good way to go! RIP, dude!