Japanese boxer Yudai Shigeoka has announced his retirement from the sport to focus on caring for his younger brother, Ginjiro, who is recovering from a serious brain injury.
Ginjiro recently fell into a coma following his split decision loss to Filipino IBF minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran. He later underwent brain surgery and has since made significant progress in his recovery.
In an Instagram post, Yudai said he is taking on the role of supporting his brother full-time.
“The other day my brother Ginjiro was transferred to a hospital in Kumamoto. And today, I, Yudai, have decided to retire from boxing,” he wrote. “Gin has big dreams, and he is still only halfway there, but I believe it is my role as his brother to help color his life from now on.”
Yudai shared that Ginjiro now undergoes three types of rehabilitation sessions daily and that he constantly encourages him to never give up “so that the flame in his heart does not go out.”
The brothers, who both started martial arts at age six, went on to win world titles at 105 lbs—Ginjiro turning pro in 2018 and Yudai following in 2019.
Yudai retires with a record of 9 wins (5 KOs) and 2 losses, including a defeat to another Filipino champion, WBC titleholder Melvin Jerusalem, before hanging up his gloves.
His retirement comes amid a tragic period for Japanese boxing, with two fighters—Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa—dying last week after suffering subdural hematomas during their bouts.
The post Yudai Shigeoka retires from boxing to care for ailing brother Ginjiro first appeared on Fastbreak.
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