Former Japan Amateur Boxing Federation (Japan Boxing Federation) President Akira Yamane died of lung cancer at an Osaka hospital on Jan. 31, it was learned the same day. He was 84.

  Yamane had been hospitalized as he was found to have renal pelvic cancer last December, according to sources close to Yamane.

  Born in Sakai in Osaka Prefecture, Yamane briefly fought as a pro and became a director of Nara prefectural boxing federation in the 1980s and vivified the otherwise subdued prefectural amateur boxing.

  He was instrumental in nurturing former 10-time amateur boxing champion Kazumasa Tsujimoto of Tennoji Industrial High School and Nihon University and many other top amateur boxers.

Yamane was selected as a member of the board of directors of the Amateur International Boxing Association (the present International Boxing Association) in 1995 and served for about eight years as a member.

  Yamane became president of Japan Boxing Federation in 2011 with Ryota Murata and Satoshi Shimizu winning the middleweight gold and featherweight bronze medals, respectively in the 2012 London Olympics.

  In 2018, he was accused of the diversion of subsides and of his alleged involvement in strange decisions in favor of boxers from Nara Prefecture, which were called ‘’Nara decisions.’’

  After being accused by boxing officials of the prefectural and city governments, Yamane resigned his position as the federation’s head. He was expelled from the federation in 2019.

  Yamane then launched his own professional boxing organization while appearing frequently in tabloid TV shows as a commentator.