Career end for Yudai Shigeoka: The former world champion is now looking after his brother Ginjiro, who is in rehab after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
Japanese former world champion Yudai Shigeoka has announced his immediate retirement and at the same time released a cautiously positive update on the health of his younger brother Ginjiro. Ginjiro suffered a brain hemorrhage in May during his defeat to Pedro Taduran for the IBF mini flyweight world title. After an emergency operation in Osaka, he was initially in a coma. Weeks later, he was able to breathe without a ventilator and began to respond to speech. At the beginning of August, he was transferred to a hospital in Kumamoto, where he is currently undergoing three hours of rehabilitation every day. “I motivate him every day not to give up,” Yudai wrote on Instagram. “The doctors in Osaka saved his life – we are eternally grateful for that.”
Yudai and Ginjiro had won world championship gold together in 2023: Yudai the WBC 105-pound title, Ginjiro the IBF belt. Yudai’s reign ended without defending his title, while Ginjiro had to relinquish his belt in July 2024. The rematch against Taduran in May 2025 was his undoing. With his retirement, Yudai now wants to be there for his brother. “This is my new task and my new dream: to create a place where everyone can meet Ginjiro. We are walking this new path together.”
Text by Robin Josten