April 11, 2009
OSAKA, JAPAN
This is a tragic story. Just prior to the Nashiro-Tomiyama WBA 115-pound title bout, Yuji Kanemitsu (12-2, 7 KOs) climbed up to the ring to show his newly acquired Japanese national minimumweight belt to the crowd, and then announced his farewell to the ring warfare. Kanemitsu, having lost eight of the first nine rounds, was awarded a TKO victory over Masatate Tsuji in the tenth and final session of a national 105-pound elimination bout in Tokyo on March 21. Tsuji, the JBC top contender, pitifully passed away because of brain hemorrhage three days later. The winner and new champ Kanemitsu was also hospitalized afterward to be diagnosed that he also sustained a slight brain injury, which caused the JBC to order him to hang up gloves for good. The fight eventually terminated the careers of the two young prospects, and the national belt became vacant again.
(4-12-09)