A 21 year old Japanese boxer, Tesshin Okada has died 17 days after he suffered a fourth round knockout in his professional debut.
The Japan Boxing Commission announced that Okada died in a Tokyo hospital on Monday.
Okada reportedly lost consciousness after the fourth and final round of a super-flyweight bout against another fighter who was also making his pro debut.
The JBC said Okada was rushed to hospital by ambulance and underwent a craniotomy after being diagnosed with an acute subdural haematoma.
Okada was the 38th boxer to die from injuries in bouts in Japan since the JBC was founded in 1952.
His death comes less than a month since a 16-year-old schoolboy Jonas Garcia died after an amateur fight in a regional schools meet in the Philippines.
Garcia suffered internal bleeding and was in a coma for a week after the bout. His death triggered calls for the sport to be banned in schools in the Philippines.
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